Ludobites 5.0 Summer Encore

After the success of 4.0 at Gram & Papas in Downtown LA, Chef Ludo Lefebvre decided to use the same location for a summer encore, limited engagement. He's also said via his facebook page that this would be the final Ludobites for 2010. (insert sadness here) He had also said that he would not be repeating any of the menu items from previous engagements, and he certainly wasn't joking.

4.0 was my virgin experience at Ludobites and I look back with fondness at a few of the menu items that I was hoping would make an appearance: the Crab Cornet and the Bevette were a few of the standouts. 5.0, to me, seemed like a more daring approach by the famed chef. In comparing the two menus, I feel that 4.0 was safer. Ludo appears to use a more cavalier approach to flavor combinations in 5.0. If one is to compare a chef to an artist, this was Ludo putting himself out on there on canvas for the world to see. Or taste, if you will.

Unlike the last time where I was in a group of four, this round I was only one of two. This made it difficult, even with a more condensed menu, to try everything that I would have liked. And because of the giant Ludo fanbase, I wasn't able to secure a reservation for the 2nd half of this engagement. (We've now crashed two reservation systems) To top it off, I forgot to bring wine, forgot my SLR, and we were on a time limit in order to attend opening night of The Young Frankenstein at the Pantages. However, I am a fan of making the best of what I have to work with, and we had a great dinner. I was also finally able to formally introduce myself to the brains of the operation, Krissy Lefebvre after interacting with her on twitter for the past 6 months or so. The woman is a PR/Marketing genius, I don't know how she finds the time.

Now for the food. We had 5 dishes to share:

Vandouvan Naan Bread w/ Salted Coconut Butter ($4) 24 herbs and spices in this naan, making it the most savory naan I've ever had. The coconut butter was a nice compliment in that the coconut flavor was only just there.

Cheese Cupcake, Chicken Liver Mousse (with foie gras), Kumquats, Cornichon ($12) I love cheese. I love cupcakes. I love kumquats. I REALLY love foie gras and and any sort of pâté. I did a test and tried each bit individually. Meh. However, combined...wow! This was one of my favorites of the night. The mousse was light and flavorful, but didn't pack a punch. While the cheese cupcake was just a bit on the dry side, that was made up for by the other more moist ingredients. The kumquat was just the citrusy kick the dish needed, and well, the cornichon was a gherkin. I think I would have been fine without it. I don't feel it did much for it either way. But it added a pretty flair as far as asthetics.

Goat Cheese Soup, Bacon, Lardo, Tofu, Green Apples, Frisee Salad ($14) Normally, I'm not the biggest fan of frisee. It tends towards bitter and doesn't do a whole lot for me. But combined with the silky taste of the goat cheese soup, the savory of the bacon and the slight sweetness of apple, and you have a tie for favorite of the evening.

Poached Egg, Potato Mousseline, Chorizo Condiment ($14) For 4.0, Chef Ludo included his potato mousseline with the rack of lamb. My sister and I threw down a few bowls of that like it was ice cream. I'm glad he included it in this round, only with a variation. Chorizo. See, hidden underneath all that creamy potato goodness (which brings up the question: how in the world do he and his wife not weigh 500 lbs?), is a poached egg. And underneath that perfectly poached egg is a bed of chorizo. Spicy and kicky with creamy and yolky. One offset the other perfectly in my mouth. It's because of this dish that I coined a new term: mouth-gasm. That's what it was, and if you don't believe me, try it.

Confit Pork Belly, Raw Choucroute Thai Style, Mustard Ice Cream ($24) This dish was the only dish that I can't rave about. It was interesting, for sure. However, I'm not the biggest pork fan to begin with. And I don't like to eat fat. Pork belly is about, oh..60% fat. I knew that this would be this way, but my friend Summer doesn't eat raw beef or octopus, and since she was the Ludobites virgin this round, I let her choose. I will say this: mustard ice cream. I'm a fan. Not by itself, it cannot stand alone. But it did go well with the choucroute and pork. In fact, if I could find a way to put it on bratwurst, I would do it. I don't know where he gets his inspiration, and I would love to be a guinea pig in his kitchen. I would have to join a gym though to offset the calories.

We didn't get to order dessert since we need to scoot off to Hollywood in time for our show. I will keep trying to get on the wait list for the 2nd half so I can try some of the other dishes. And I will anxiously await 2011 to see what Chef Ludo brings us for 6.0.



Ludobites 5.0
July 21 - September 3
Gram & Papas
227 East 9th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Waitlist (if you can get it)

Musha! M-U-S-H-A! Musha!

I get excited about food. I daydream about possible meals and restaurants I want to try. I feel no shame in this, though I don't know that I really like the term 'foodie'. Musha is one of those places that 'foodies' really need to go, and I get excited about. Last night was my 2nd time there, and I had been thinking about their cheese risotto all afternoon. So much so, that I was lamenting on my twitter account that I needed to be strong and stay home. Well, my taste buds won in the end.

The first time I went to Musha in Torrance was about 4 months ago. Maybe more. Musha, though they also have a location in Santa Monica, is like the South Bay secret sauce. A lot of people haven't heard about it unless they know someone who's been there. And I'm pretty sure you have to be introduced by someone of Asian decent. The ambiance is that of a traditional izakaya, kind of dark and small. The air is filled with the smoke of the shichirin grills. You typically will hear more Japanese spoken than English, as the clientele is definitely more Japanese.

The Torrance Musha is in a little strip mall on the corner of Carson and Western, hidden next to a Kogi BBQ buffet (which is only 'okay'). On that first visit, I had searched reviews online to figure out what to order, and in doing so, I stayed safe.I had the Ebi Mayo Mayo: exactly how it sounds, shrimp and mayonnaise. The spicy tuna dip with rice crackers, standard, though really high on the mayo. We had the hamachi sashimi, which was delicious. And the cheese risotto. Of course I wondered what the risotto was doing in a traditional japanese restaurant, but it was amazing! They brought it out in a bowl carved in a giant wedge of parmesan cheese, mixed it at the table and then scooped it onto a plate. It was eye-poppingly good.

Last night I chose to mix it up, though I stayed with the cheese risotto since my daughter was with me and I knew for sure that would be one dish she would eat. I also brought along her father since he needs to be introduced to places other than Ihop. He was the only white guy there. I told him that's how you know it's good. He was skeptical about my praise of Musha's food, but by the time we left, he was a believer of epic proportions. Sadly, I only had my dinky phone camera to record the deliciousness of our dinner, and it in no way did it justice. But it was a last minute, almost unplanned excursion, and I use what's available to me.



Roast duck breast in soy ponzu sauce with daikon radish and green onions - Served cold, it was the best dish (to me) of the night. My daughter even ate and loved the tender duck. I would go back just for this tonight.



Musha's Fried Chicken (MFC) - This was Kyle's favorite dish. He actually said it was the best fried chicken he's ever had. He ate the whole thing before I finished one bite. Jerk. To me, it was only 'good'. It's pretty much standard chicken katsu, but like I said, Kyle is whitey, and I'm a little more particular. Or maybe it's because I only had one bite, so I didn't get the full experience?




Lobster Rolls - Um, it was lobster, avocado, with spicy crab in soy paper with black sesame seeds. Pretty standard. Great taste. You really can't go wrong there.



Cheese Risotto - it was amazing! (hence photo of me licking plate) There aren't enough words to describe the awesome goodness. Go try it for yourselves. I do wonder how long it takes before they wear a hole through the giant wedge of cheese. Mmmmm.....cheeeeese.



Tarak Kimuchee Udon - udon with seaweed, mushrooms, green onion, pork belly and ginger. I was honestly so full by the time we got here that I only had two bites (for shame!), and the gist of the flavors that I got was seaweed. It was a bit overpowering. I'm hoping tonight's leftovers lend some other flavors, and I'll likely update this post when I can tell you for sure. (Update 7/22/10 - leftovers were not so great. If you get it, and like it, finish it.)

We did end up getting two desserts: chocolate souffle and maple creme brulee. Both were standard, with the addition of corn flakes. I'm not sure who decided breakfast cereal and souffle went together, but it was a solid choice. If you like crunch, which I do.

I nearly passed out on the drive home from the delighful food coma, and I'm already planning my dishes for my next trip there. Although I think I need to test out the Santa Monica location to compare.