Jean-Georges Beverly Hills

We celebrated Gary's birthday last night at Jean-George Beverly Hills in the beautiful Waldorf Astoria. He had dined there a couple of weeks ago but did not have the Tasting Menu and he had indicated that he really wanted to try it so the nice sister that I am, indulged his request. The venue is the typical Beverly Hills scene; beautiful cars, young women with older gentlemen, established older couples, boobs galore and gawking men. We got there early for our reservation. By 8:30 p.m., the restaurant was packed.

There were a lot of interesting items on the menu but we already decided on having the Tasting Menu but without the wine pairing. We just ordered a bottle of Justin wine which had to do some heavy breathing before it was satisfactory to me. Our main server was Greg who was the best. He was knowledgeable, professional and had a great sense of humor. There were other servers who were equally attentive.

We were presented with a cold melon soup for our amuse bouche. It reminded us both of what we had on hot days which was practically every day, in the Philippines. Our first course was a beautiful Toasted Egg Yolk with Herbs topped with caviar. I was speechless, my eyes almost rolled back. If our friend Ana was with us, I am certain her eyes would have crossed! The second course was Ahi Tuna Tartare with crushed avocado, radish and ginger dressing. The tuna melted in your mouth, it had a mild creamy flavor and the radish with the ginger dressing woke it up and exploded in your mouth.

The third course was a salad of  Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Berries with olive oil and black pepper. The combination of the vegetables and fruits were nice. There was an unidentifiable cute little veggie which was the size of a large grape but looked like the skin of a watermelon. It turned out to be a vegetable from the cucumber family. It was crunchy and had a nice taste to it. Our fourth course was the Black Cod with broccoli di ciccio and spicy herbal broth. The cod was flaky and delicious.

The main entree was a Roasted Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with crunchy potatoes and tangy-spicy stewed peppers. This was the "real" wagyu, tender as can be, juicy and perfect with the sauce. We were happy that we were able to consume all of the above considering we also ate some bread with a delicious butter. I asked Greg if he could find out the brand of this wonderful salty butter. He later informed me it was Organic Five Star Butter.
Dessert was a Chocolate Cake with vanilla ice cream and cocoa nibs tuille. After we devoured the chocolate cake that oozed more chocolate from inside, they brought Gary a special fruit sorbet with berries and peaches for his birthday.

During dinner, there was a bit of a commotion in a table with 5 women. They seemed to be entertained by this lady talking to them. It turned out to be Charo, (cuchi-cuchi) singer, musician, and actress. Later on, LeBron James walked in with an entourage.

I have been to the Jean-George in Las Vegas many years ago and remember loving the food. This one at the Waldorf Astoria did not disappoint. I had the pleasure of meeting the general manager, Diego Ruiz e Porras a very humble nice gentleman from Barcelona. Gary and I felt bad and gave him our condolences from the recent horrific event that took place there.

Jean-George is a welcome addition to the Waldorf Astoria. He also has The Rooftop by JG and the Jean George Bar in the hotel. The beautiful Waldorf Astoria is located at 9850 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, California.