London's IMPALA impresses with intensity of flavors and noise (7-22-26)

 

We were in London just one night so I could attend the opera, and I needed to have a simple, not too heavy, early dinner, and chose IMPALA right near our hotel on the walk to Covent Garden. IMPALA fit the bill and was pretty quiet as I took a seat at 530pm. I had a table right opposite the open kitchen and a huge prep table that virtually all the chefs encircled for the entire time I was there; it was great to see these 1/2 dozen or so doing their jobs. To the right of this was a bar with stools for those who wanted to sit and chat with the chefs doing cold prep or perhaps enjoy a tasting menu.

The cuisine here is Moroccan based using local English ingredients, so my s whicherver was a tad unnerved when I said no sesame or poppy or small seeds, as it seems so many of the dishes incorporate them. He went to chat with the head chef nearby who actually came over to the table several times to ask about the seed issue and i explained, that it was just whole seeds not oils or such and he was very happy. He later brought many of the dishes explaining them as well; this was a real team effort.

I started with the Beef Tartare made with baklouti chilli and this could be one of the best around town. (photos on FB) It arrived with finely shredded cheese on top, and the spice was amazing, but the piece de resistance was the fried dough that came with it instead of bread!! What a brilliant novel and tasty idea indeed.

Second was Pastilla, duck pastry with pickled walnut which were two pastilla pastries that looked more like spinakopita and had a very spicy ketchup-like dip. Another spicy dish that tasting so divine, I wanted more. Third was Kibbeh of white crab and sun dried wheat wrapped in shiso leaf. This was one large bite (as I was instructed) and really not what I would call a kibbeh; deconstructed crab kibbeh, maybe. The crab sat inside atop the leaf and was a tasty, refreshing bite, but at 7pounds($9.50US) I would have appreciated two!

I was also enjoying a glass of Nino Barraco "Biancomatto" 2025 Catarratto from Sicily which was also so refreshing with great mineral flavors. The wine list was great with every one (13 whites/2 oranges(amber)/2 roses/9 reds/3 sparkling) all available by the glass or bottle, even if some of them were insanely priced; the lowest was 7pounds up to 56 (over $75) for a glass of 2006 Pouilly-Fuisse!

I was still a tad hungry and asked my server for a suggestion and ending up with the Fried Mackerel, cod's roe and muhammara, which was nothing what I expected. The fish sat sandwiched between a bed of muhammara(spicy red pepper and walnut spread) that was so creamy it was almost beyond rich and atop a huge ribbon of creamy cod roe. It was amazing, and now I was truly full. After a strawberry pate a fruit as a mignardises, I was happy to move on as the noise level between the music and guests (two tables were now so close to me I could hear every word said) made me yearn to get to the opera. A great meal but dine early to avoid the noise!

Des Moines HARBINGER hits the heights again (7-12-26)

 I am way behind as on arrival here in Bordeaux we had some pretty bad heat and awful smoke due to the wildfires, then guests arrived, then we spent the weekend in the Bearn (Bas-Pyrenees), so please accept apologies and enjoy!

Each year when we go to Des Moines Metro Opera, we always make time for dinner at Harbinger. It's a real treat, despite the not so comfy chairs (the banquette on one side is okay, but then the person opposite in the chair suffers!). They have a new chef, Hoe Tripp, who was actually off to Malaysia when we went this year, but we were still impressed with every bite and sip from start to finish. Harbinger tends to the vegetarian side but does offer fish and meat if you need it and the variety of dishes (all meant to be shared) is excellent.

We started with cocktails and mine was a Some Like It Dirty with Haku Vodka, House green tomato(pickled) to replace the olive, Umeboshi and Genepy which I adored, while will went with the Memory Lane of Roku Vodka (substituted for Roku GIn), Vida Mezcal, Fermented Carrot, Lime, Cilantro & Thai Chili. Garrett was at the bar as he was the year before and makes magic with these fabulous drinks as well as always tries to introduce us to great new wines.

Our first dish was (all on FB) KOHLRAHBI stuffed with Kauai Prawns, grilled avocado & mousse, lovage, pickled green strawberries with puffed buckwheat. We adored the flavors but went crazy for our second dish SPRING PEA VARIETALS swimming in Nam Jim and olive oil with green curry emulsion, pickled jalapenos and pea-pod crackers was indeed a PEAS ON CRACK dish that shall never be forgotten. I think Harbinger easily has the best pea dishes on earth each time we go!

Our fabulous server Melina had told us the next dish was irresistible, rich and fabulous and she hit it spot on with the Chanterelle Mushroom Godan, a rice dish made with Koshihikari rice, crispy soft-boiled egg and brown butter lovage in a plate that was indeed so divine. If one person has this dish, the meal is over, but we could split it easily and move on! 

The Bao here comes in three different types, but we settled on Fried Chicken steamed bun with Fermented Pepper Relish and Duck Fat Aioli; the description alone answers why we chose this fabulous crunchy treat. We had started with a bottle of Damsel Cellars Marsanne "Booshey Vineyards" from Woodinville, Washington that was fabulous and then Garrett suggested a Barbara Ohlszelt Gruner Veltliner called "Leader" that was also fabulous with all the spice in the various dishes.

Speaking of spice, last was the Sakura Farms Charred Pork Collar with blistered radish, strawberry gochujang, marinated Swiss chard and squid ink tuille. We chose to pair this with a side that Melina said was superb, and it may have even beaten the pork! The Charcoal Grilled Savoy Cabbage was in a smoked onion cream with ramp/kimchi butter and shiso. the two dishes were great, but the two sauces really competed with each other! Garrett delivered two glasses of wine and we each loved ours: Vera Sacrum GSM from Argentina and Bedrock Zinfandel, both paired with the pork ideally.

We rested --A LOT--and then pondered dessert. My rearend was not happy and I suggested to the staff that pillows on the hard metal chairs might be nice. We settled on the Toasted Rice Pudding Mochi Donut (which was really a churro), poached rhubarb and wild wood sorrel and loved every bite, especially the chewy yummy textures.

Garrett arrived with glasses of Tannat Alcyone Atlantida, a crazy wild chocolatey dessert wine from Uruguay as well as the traditional French Pineau de Charentes (from just to the north of us here in Aquitaine). Delish!!

It was the perfect end to a perfect meal (save for the chair) and we knew we would return again next year, maybe for the tasting menu which I had the year prior and could not stop raving about!

PS-there is a way to tip the kitchen staff a tad extra here called "Kitchen Love" on the menu where you buy the chefs a round...and of course, we did!

FAMILY LEE in DC makes it to TWENTY-anniversary celebration at Mandu (7/7/26)

 I nabbed a seat at a super wonderful tasting menu the other night at MANDU here in DC to celebrate Chef Danny Lee's 20th year here. He was joined by his amazing mother, Mama Lee as well as Chef Edward Lee, also a well-known figure in DC!

I was escorted to the quieter upstairs section (I did not even know this existed) and my servers Doobie and Jake took over to take me on a Korean food journey that was as memorable as it can be. I like Mandu's Essay Chenin Blanc as it stands up to spice and started with a glass of that as the amuses or snacks arrived:

SOON DOOBU TART came with fermented lemon "chiffon" if you will, and basil oil on a Monaka or rice wafer. This dish was made of whole lemons blanched multiple times and added to soft tofu to make a not sweet, but very tart, lemon chiffon if you will. It was a great palate cleanser and setup for the GESAL MUCHIM or toasted seaweed cracker with MD lump crab, perilla, persimmon vin and gim. The crab was fab and I loved this taste of what was to come (photos on FB).

Starters were a SAEWOO MANDU or Shrimp dumpling in Gochujang Cream, Ssukgat with pear and powdered shrimp paste. This dish was a revelation. While Mandu literally means dumpling and it is a specialty here, of course, this preparation and the blow-your-mind spicy cream was a novel mouthful of east meets west. 

Gimmari was a Rice paper tempura fried crispy seaweed "roll" with glass noodles, onion & carrot filling topped with sea urchin and caviar. Decadence at its best indeed and while the seaweed was crispy it was also chewy in a very novel way that made the dish so different. needless to say, the uni and caviar were divine.

The main courses all came together in three plates with BANCHAN to mix and use as sauces or such with mama Lee's Kimchi (the best), Oi Sabagi, Ojinguh Muchim & Yeongeun which amounts to kimchi, pickled lotus, cucumber and a superb spicy squid salad.  BIBIM MAKGUKSU was a almost a soup of buckwheat noodles, pickled eggplant, Minari with some apple pieces that popped and a sauce that rocked.

The main plate had two dishes: GALBI JJIM, a prime short rib with sweet, braised daikon, carrot, rice cake, dates and pinenuts. Opposite was a Fondant Potato and while that's as Frenchas it gets, here it was topped with Jajang or black bean sauce and Charred Kimchi--more east meets west!  Everything was cooked to perfection with spices and seasonings that tingled and got every taste bud excited.

I had already moved on to red wine and loved the Lodolai Dolcetto d'Alba, Ca' del Baio which is a tad bigger than most Dolcettos with a touch of acidity; a good pairing with these dishes but had to finally return to the much bigger Partridge Malbec, a really great wine on the menu for big meat dishes and spice, too.

Dessert was YAKGWA -Honey Cookie with Ginger Syrup, Vanilla Gelato, Misugaru, and Strawberry Cheong or fermented strawberries which were a real treat. Not too sweet and just right as I was quite full by now, but I had to finish every bite for sure!

Bravo to this entire team who always had on a smile, and I could tell made everyone in the whole house very happy.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Magnificent modern Indian at KARIZMA in DC (7-2-26)

 We are so glad our friend Elliot suggested Karizma in downtown DC for our outing together last night as it was a magnificent find indeed. We walked in and the chef and some staff we are the far end of a nice bar just chatting and the place was empty--well it was Thursday night on a holiday weekend when half of DC downtown streets are closed due to massive holiday nonsense! Karizma shares space with Karma next door, which is a tad more elegant with a tasting menu (we can't wait to try that), but we loved the simple and calm decor with white marble tables, banquettes, comfy chairs and several high tops near the bar in the front windows. The kitchen at the rear is open, but since we were the only table all night and a small group at the bar, the staff was not too busy. When we said we wanted to thank the chef after dinner, he was gone!

Our server Griffin told us he had been there for years, and the place opened in 2017! How did we miss it? We looked at the varied wine list and since the temperature outside was still hovering at over 100, I asked if I could taste the Gruner Veltliner which comes by the glass. he brough over a nice taste and we all tried and loved the Weingut Stadt Krems 2022 from Austria that was more than refreshing in the heat and was great with all the spice. It was so good, we finished off THREE bottles!

We ordered some dishes and got to taste many things and loved it all. Only the Garlic naan was a tad too thin and crisper than what I would normally like.

Quinoa Tikki was potato, quinoa, ginger and white pea mash in a cake that was superb and Tandoori Cauliflower was spicy with Garam masala, tomato jus and yogurt to cut the spice. We loved the starters and were even happier when the mains arrived. 

Griffin also brough out some sliced fresh onions with lemon, hot chilis and chili sauce in case we wanted more seasoning.

The order of Grilled Lamb Chops came out rare, so it was sent back as Norca likes well done, The Kerala Fish Curry was superb with sea bass and tamarind. The Malvani Chicken Curry was a stewed spring chicken with coconut milk but no skimp on spice and my Nariyal Chili Prawns with basil and blistered cherry tomatoes was also a fabulous treat. The simple cumin rice with pea shoots on top was some of the best rice around town and it was a godsend with all the fabulous sauces. Griffin had also brought out a tasty cucumber raita.

My number 1 gauge in an Indian restaurant is the Palak Paneer of spinach, burnt garlic and cheese and this dish could win a prize indeed. It was creamy, a tad spicy and the spinach was cooked to perfection.

We were full but Griifin insisted we try two desserts and both were superb. The Mango Kulfi was like semifreddo on crack and the Coconut Payasam was a rich, delicious rice pudding, yet so light it was gone in seconds.

We loved everything about this place and cannot wait to return. Indian food is all over, but not always so great as that of Karizma, loaded with charisma!

Brasserie by Niche makes St. Louis seem like France (6-19-26)

 The ngiht after dining with Chef Ford Craft we headed over to his very traditional French bistro BRASSERIE BY NICHE for an early light supper before the opera (which was Romeo et Juliette, alas in English here at OTSL). We got a great dose of France though with many full tables outside (it was quite hot, but not humid!) and lots of great small, varied spaces inside. we were taken to an interior room which was darker, quieter and had beautifully embosses walls and stamps on the wall with hanging single bulbs. 

Within seconds our gracious server Jennifer appeared with two complimentary glasses of Gamay/Cab Franc Henry Varney Sprakling Rose from the Loire, Refreshing and great on a hot day, this was our first of many doses of the tastes of France. Will moved on later o a glass of Milou Rose from Provence, but like in France if you don't seek anything specific you can order house wine by the glass or carafe, which I am sure is just fine.

We could not eat a lot before the long opera, so decided to share some starters at first. Delicious bread and butter arrived and then our Wild Burgundy Escargots with herbes (spelled that way on the menu!), garlic and doused in butter arrived with toasted bread slices. They were hot, sizzling and delicious and we did remark that when in home at Bordeaux, we do not see them a lot as they are indeed a regional dish from Burgundy!

Next came the Steak Tartare with fines herbes in a mild preparation that really starred the meat itself. Someone here loves bread as there were over 20 thinly sliced crostini accompanying the dish in a beautiful fan. We probably used no more than three each for the dish! (always photos on FB).

Jessica arrived with a plate of Gougères which were better than any I have had in this country. They were large, soft, warm and cheesy indeed and really filled us up.

Will said he was stuffed, but I had a small yet satisfying simple salad of Mixed Lettuces & Goat Cheese with Hazelnut Croutons in a shallot vinaigrette. I loved it and felt very old-fashioned French finishing with a salad.

Will wanted to try the Rhubarb tart tropezienne with sugared brioche, rhubarb ginger jam, roasted rhubarb pistachio creme madame and rhubarb sherbet, which was okay, but a tad sweet and the cake was dry. Jessica appeared with a complimentary dessert of Chocolate Mousse, Hazelnut Liqueur, Espresso, whipped cream and brown sugar cocoa nib tuile that was delish, but I could not manage more than a small spoonful.

We left very full and are so happy we return for brunch today with a group of singers as this has become an Opera Theatre of St. Louis newer tradition here as we end our weekend.

--

A return to St Louis' LITTLE FOX will knock off your sox (6-18-26)

Rather than risk a delayed flight and miss an opera here this weekend at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, we set out a day prior and checked in with our friend Chef Ford Craft about where to eat these days. For years prior to its closing, we loved his award-winning NICHE where I first visited back in 2008 when his now late father (who lived in DC) told me I HAD to try it. I was in LOVE instantly, and while Chef still has places here in town (we go to Brasserie by Niche tonight for supper and Sunday for brunch!), the long stretched out fine dining meals are gone. He got back to me and said he would meet us at LITTLE FOX (who knew he would join us?) where we had a fabulous brunch two years back. It's tucked away in a quiet area south of downtown and very unpresuming, but the entire place was jammed last night at 7pm, including the outdoor seating as it is simply gorgeous weather here!

Will and I arrived a tad earlier and settled in with a "Here's the Thing" a divine cocktail of Sotol, green chile vodka, bay leaf, banana pepper, Thai bitter, lime and an egg white froth on top (a la pisco sour) which had a nice spice and tasted so refreshing. Our server Chad was super and was fine with us ordering slowly so we could pace ourselves and enjoy our 3+ hours there, and he was also very nice to look at!

Chef Ford arrived and he asked the folks next to us what was good; that always works and he said we have to try the Potato Churros made with Manchego and a romesco dipping aioli that I loved. Our neighbors hit it right with the Crispy Green Tomatoes that were very different from those we know as they were corn-flour battered like onion rings with lemon, basil yogurt sauce, pickled banana peppers and crispy fried basil leaves on top. YUM.

By now we had gone to our first wine a beautiful creamy Viognier from Ilahe in the Willamette Valley of Oregon that the sommelier Becky suggested; she knew her wines for sure, and what a wonderful list indeed. 

Sea Scallops were in a ramp soubise with morel mushrooms and house-cured pancetta which I chose as they simply sounded superb, but while not bad, they were probably my least favorite dish all evening.

A beautiful (and complimentary) Summer Squash Salad with grilled and marinated squash, charred onion and yogurt arrived with agrodolce and crunchy Marcona almonds. It was delish but paled next to the amazing Beet Salad with a yogurt-like smoked aioli, amazing crunchy crisp a urfa quinoa, dill, lemon and pickled mustard seed. 

Chef regaled us with storied about his growing up in DC first working in a kitchen in Utah in his late teens and ultimately ending up as a hugely decorated chef in St. Louis, while I scribbled notes back to him due to my decreed silence due to nodes on my vocal cords!

Royal Trumpet Mushrooms were also suggested by our table neighbors and these huge grilled Ozark Forest fungi arrived delicately cooked in a not too rich soubise sauce with frisee, sherry vinaigrette and chive oil. Becky arrived back and helped us chose a Broc Nero d'Avola 2023 from Mendocino's Fox Hill Vineyard, California called "The Badger" which we loved. I can't recall seeing this varietal ever grown in the US, but Broc can do it!

It paired spectacularly with our two pasta dishes: CAVATELLI with asparagus, fennel, yeasted saffron butter, piave vecchio (cheese), preserved lemon and garlic breadcrumbs. Some small cherry tomatoes added acidity to the richness, and it was a hit. Even better was the GARAGNELLI with braised pork trotters, jus, pickled ramp and Arugula. The huge pasta sopped up the large shreds of braised meat like a sponge and the flavors just melded with the wine.

There was no room for dessert, so we polished off the wine and headed back to our hotel for some good rest before our three operas this weekend here. How nice to see Chef Ford again and know he is doing so well and hearing about another dining venue (fine dining) he will hopefully open by our next visit!!

Make mine MAKETTO when on H St, NE in DC it's delicious (6-6-26)

 We had a magnificent early dinner before an early curtain at the Atlas Performing Arts Center and I knew we had to return to Maketto where Chef Eric Bruner-Yang really cooks pan-Asian awesomely! This is a place you could come and dine for hours tasting and sharing many dishes with friends, but more comfy chairs would help that. 

The servers are attentive and helpful and full of smiles and can help you choose a dish if you aren't sure, but I think we had our minds made up, until we saw several dishes whisked by and maybe re-calibrated. It seems the small dishes are not so small, and the medium dishes are quite large; we ended up taking home some extra, but luckily not a lot. the three ladies next to us were packing up giant fried chicken sandwiches that looked so tempting (medium??!!)

Will loved the Cora Rose from Montepulciano and I waited till my food came to enjoy a refreshing glass of the Christina Gruner Veltliner that had a slight effervescence when poured and quickly dissipated but went great with spicy food!

Will had the Steamed Pork Bao which were two large buns stuffed full and a hoisin dipping sauce on the side. I went lighter, or so I thought, with the amazing Ginger Chicken Soup Dumplings with peanut chili vinaigrette that were so intense and flavorful and loaded with chilis in the sauce that I loved. They were really even better than the soup dumplings I had in Shanghai several months earlier!

For our mains Will chose the Duck Noodle Soup which was a full 1/4 duck(leg) with wonton crisps on the side, noodles, local greens and mushrooms. It was quite filling and while declared "medium" I say it's a meal! My Cambodian Noodle Salad came with Crispy Pork Shoulder(warm) on top of the room temperature noodles, bamboo shoots, carrots, a crunchy topping of fermented (shrimp?)fish, peanuts herbs and even a spring roll stuffed in on the side! It came with a sweet and sour vinaigrette on the side so i was able to add a bit at each level as I ate through the noodles and tasty meat! Yes, medium again, and check out the FB pictures to see how big you think medium is! I have to say these noodles were also superb and far surpassed the mediocre ones we had several weeks prior at Chay!

We could not even ponder dessert, but knew we would head back to Maketto, perhaps on a Sunday evening this summer when things are quieter and parking is free as the veggie options for Sam are numerous!

NYC's PLANTA Queen is near perfection (5-30-26)

 Our NYC family weekends have become a fun tradition with opera, musicals, shows and usually a nice dinner and we found a new (well, old) vegetarian spot, which also has a branch here in Bethesda, MD, called PLANTA QUEEN which really rocked.

There was a fun cocktail list, but our server Emira explained most of them tended to be sweet, so Will asked for a Mezcal Margarita which ended up coming with a salted/spicy -tajin rim that made me order one as well. Sam enjoyed Mint Lemonade and then Hudson North Cider. The wine was a tasty Cune Tempranillo 2021 but I do have to admit the wine list was short and limited.

The setting was nice with a long bar at the front and comfy seating booths at the rear. A nice change from the loud places!

The menu leans toward sharing and Sam and I started to agree on things as Will wanted his own dishes, but that changed as soon as he heard our choices and joined in warmly.

AVOCADO BEETROOT TARTARE was with pine nuts, citrus, soy sesame, cilantro and yummy taro chips (photos on FB) which was very refreshing and loaded with flavor. The Steamed Edamame Dumplings arrived with a sweet chili peanut sauce and were delish, but the Crispy Gyoza were even better with cabbage, carrot, cilantro, mushroom and a spicy chili soy dip.

Two noodle dishes were as different as could be: DAN DAN NOODLES were with Szechuan kamut (a grain like farro), a rich coconut milk sauce, sesame and cilantro. A mild spice came through, but nothing as kicky as the RAMEN CHILI CRUNCH, a noddle bowl with Kaarage "chicken", scallion and cilantro. This was fried chicken made from tofu that tasted amazing with a spicy sauce that we all declared perfection. You may not lots of cilantro and sesame, but they were very careful to advise which dishes had sesame seeds (very few) as it was often a paste or oil! Cilantro-haters would not be at home here!

Wok Fried Bok Choy with sesame ponzu was a nice side veggie and then Will got his Crispy Mushroom Roll with avocado, gochujang, pickled ginger and unagi while I tired the Spicy "Crab" Roll made from hearts of palm and spicy mayo. The rolls were nice, a tad messy to eat, but tasty. Next time I might go for the sushi instead of the single hadn rolls, but stick with the amazing tasty dishes we loved.

Will would not even taste the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream and coconut Caramel, but it was a good dessert, even if not the perfect copy of the Yorkshire version; Sam & I were happy.

Nice to know Planta has a DC and Bethesda location--can't wait!