Lukshon: It's not Father's Office (It's next door)

Culver City - Sang Yoon, proprietor and chef of Father's Office picked well when he chose the Helm's Bakery district. Quietly charming, the area houses several upscale furniture showrooms and such restaurants as Father's Office, Let's Be Frank, La Dijonaise (a former fave of mine, and I'm committed to going back as it's been 9 years), and now Lukson.

Magnum Popping the Cork at Royal T

Culver City - Royal T in Culver City is the local version of the Japanese cosplay cafe. Cosplay cafes in Japan are themed restaurants that include maid and butler cafes. Confused? Don't be, go check it out. Just be aware that from April 17-19, Royal T will lose the maids and take in a wine pimp and kitchen gangsta. The Magnum duo of David Haskell (pimp) and Joseph Mahon (gangsta) will be making their 3rd pop up appearance, the previous two being at Biergarten and Cemitas y Clayudas Pal Cabron, respectively, both in Koreatown.

This latest rendition sees Mahon using more Japanese flair with the menu. His past two pop up locations have seen their individual influences reflected in the menus as well. At Biergarten, we saw a bit of Korean, and at Pal Cabron some oaxacan show up in a few dishes.On top of the Japanese influence, a portion of the proceeds from the 3 day pop up will benefit a to be named Japanese restaurant or sake brewery in the wake of the earthquake/tsunami.

Where: Royal T Cafe
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

When: April 17-19

MENU
Updated 4/11/11 to include wine pairings:


Oysters / Brown Butter and Lemon
Wine: Von Buhl ³Brut²: Riesling: Bad Durkheim. Germany

Potato Chip Soup/Ramps/ Cucumber/ Fried Oysters
Wine:  2008 Batic : Pinela: Sempas, Slovenia

Fennel Royale/Sea Urchin/ Apple Cloud/ Nori Powder
Wine:  2009 Riviera Ligure di Ponente: Pigato: Durin, Italy

CrispyTofu/SunflowerSeeds/

Cilantro/
MarinatedVegetables/ Dashi Emulsion
BEER:  Hitachino White

Tuna Rolls w/ Crab/ Jicama/ Mango/ Spicy Mayonnaise
Wine:  2008 Francois Pinon Silex:  Chenin Blanc: Vouvray, France

Braised Baby Octopus/Leek Risotto, Pine Nuts/ Pancetta Vinaigrette
Wine:  2009 Jean Paul-Brun:  Chardonnay: Beaujolais, France

Ocean Trout/Peas/ Mint/ Morels/ Lobster Jus
Wine:  2007 G. Rescombes ³Villes Vignes²: Gamay: Brouilly, France

Sliders w/ Grass Fed Beef/ Potato Chips/ Bibb Lettuce/ Chipotle Aioli
Sake:  Jukusie Funabuchi:  Junmai Ginjo: Nigata-Ken, Japan

Miso Cured Hangar Steak/Creamed Spinach/ Shitake Mushroom Tempura/ Sesame
Seeds/ Ponzu Sauce
Wine: 2007 Eric Texier ³ LA Vaison Romaine²:  Grenache: Cote du Rhone , FR

Yuzu Crème Brulee/Poached Apricots
Wine:  D. Delecheneau Domaine La Grange Rose : Cab Franc, Cot: Loire, Fr

5 course:      62.00
wine pairing  45.00

7 course:        80.00
wine pairing  62.00

10 course:     118.00
wine pairing 92.00


UNI MENU:

Uni/ oyster/ soy mignonette
Uni/Tuna Tartare
Uni Tartine/ Cucumber/ Brined Halibut

Uni/Cauliflower Royale/

Uni/ pizza/bone marrow
Uni/Veal/tempura Mushrooms/bordelaise sauce
Uni/Venison/shiso pepper sauce

dessert

$130.00 for the food
$80.00 for wine pairing

split wine pairing charge of 25.00

Lounge Bites:

Sliders w/ Grass Fed Beef/ Potato Chips/ Bibb Lettuce/ Chipotle Aioli $15

Tuna Rolls w/ Crab/ Jicama/ Mango/ Spicy Mayonnaise $19

Oysters w/ Brown Butter and Lemon $14

 Haskell will be celebrating his birthday on the 19th, hence the uni menu. There will be limited offerings of the uni menu, so if this is something you would like to order, please let them know in advance. As in, today. I'm all set for the 18th, so be ready for the follow up post!



323-798-4648 or email magnumdh@gmail.com

Taste

There was a night, several months back, when I went on a wild food chase through WeHo. It was late, and I had left XIV to meet a friend at Biergarten, only he had left and told me to meet at Bastide, but the kitchen was closed so we walked over to Comme Ca, where the kitchen was closed at well. We hopped across the street to Taste, where they were sweeping up the patio. Closed. We ended up at the Belmont that night, where they have the kitchen open late. 3 restaurant strike outs in the span of 15 minutes. Since then, it's been a goal to get back to each of the three places. Taste was first on the list since Mahon has since left Bastide to pursue other ventures.

Wolvesden

‘I want to fucking feed you’ – Craig Thornton aka Wolvesmouth

On February 16^th, 2011, I was fucking fed. The month prior I received an invite from The Catty Critic to join her at a private dinner set up by Catty in London (not the same person). Catty was going to be in Southern California for a week and had asked several of her friends if they would be interested in joining her for dinner. Wolvesden has been getting harder and harder to get a reservation for, and after my canceled dinner back in October due to the move to the current location, I was unsure I would be able to get in. This was a golden opportunity that, of course, I wanted to take advantage of.

Due to the nature of the underground dining scene at Wolvesden, it’s BYOB, so I brought along a Bandol Rose from Domaine Ott and a Cote du Rhone. We never did end up opening the red, but the rose paired nicely with the first few dishes. When we got there, there was a small staff comprised of friends of Craig’s hard at work cranking fresh papparadelle and cutting up loaves of bread for croutons. A pot of soup, the first course, sat bubbling on the stove. While we waited, we milled about in the wide open loft, drinking wine and catching up. One of the fun things about Wolvesden, is that it brings people whom might never have met, to dine together at one table. In this instance, most of us have either met before or are familiar on social media.