Sunday, May 20, 2018

Spago

My brother Gary invited Sandi and me to celebrate our birthdays at Spago. I haven't been there in a long time and Sandi has never been there. We were excited as I was hoping that we were in for a treat.

We were seated on the outdoor patio which had heaters for when it got chilly. Since Gary has been there more often, Sandi and I told him to order for us. He decided to order a few things for us to share but also asked us if there was something specific we wanted. Halibut, Sandi's favorite fish was on the menu so we did order that. We also ordered the Crispy Scaled Black Bass with Maine Lobster and the Grilled Prime "Cote de Boeuf" with pommes aligot with a peppercorn-Armagnac sauce. As soon as our orders were taken, someone brought an array of bread with different textures. We did ask for butter just in case the dip was not satisfactory. The dip, in this case, was quite edible. Yogurt with harissa was a nice balance that brought out the flavors of the bread.


For starters; two items had to be ordered. One was the Spicy Tuna Tartare in a sesame-miso cone with shaved bonito and the other was a Cheese Pizza with Italian Summer Truffles. Sandi, who normally will not eat anything raw had a cone and loved it. I was hoping she would not want to try it so I could have two! The pizza was wonderful; thin crust, a bit charred on some parts though I would have wanted to see it all throughout. The flavor of the summer truffles was oh so good. As Milena (aka Ms. Gourmet) would say: " I would have been very happy with just the cones and the pizza", in which we all agreed.


The Alaskan Halibut arrived. It was nice and flaky. I much preferred the Crispy Scaled Black Bass with Maine Lobster. It couldn't have been any crispier. The flavor was ausgezeichnet (that's excellent in German) and anyone that knows me know I rarely get excited about fish.


Just as we were finishing our fish, the Grilled Cote de Boeuf arrived. The big hunk of meat made a grand entrance.  I loved that they sliced the meat and even plated them for us. Another server came to serve the Pommes Aligot; cheesy mashed potato. It was entertaining to watch as he stretched the cheesy deliciousness up to eye level. It almost reminded me of how they pour the dressing at Lawry's for their spinning salad. It was a spectacle to watch. The pommes aligot was the perfect side dish to showcase the beautiful beef which was cooked to perfection.


It was time for dessert. We unanimously decided to share the Tangerine Crepe Cake "Suzette", tangerines with toasted almonds, tangerine gelato with Grand Marnier.  Gary also ordered  "Alexander McQueen Inspiration". We loved the Crepe, it was not sweet and the many layers of the thin crepe were light and yummy. The tangerine gelato was a nice escort to the crepe. The Alexander McQueen was a chocolate pearl with dark glazed chocolate. Inside this pearl was creme fraiche mousse with raspberry jelly. The pearl sat on a bed of lemon possit.  If that were not enough, it also had some dehydrated rose petals. The details of these desserts always amazes me.  For our birthdays, they presented us with a plate with an assortment of cookies. There was no dieting this evening.


I must mention that our server Bryan was professional, knowledgeable about the menu and not at all pretentious; we loved that about him. The service, food, and ambiance could not have been better. By the time we left, the patio was pretty full. Thank you Gary for some enchanted evening!


Spago is located at 176 N. Canon Dr. in Beverly Hills California.


No comments:

Post a Comment