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Pork Love at Cliff’s Edge
Peter and I finally got to Cliff’s Edge (in Silver Lake) to try Chef Vartan Abgaryan‘s cooking last week. We first met Vartan at a local food event, and got to know him better when he volunteered with L.A. Bites Hunger.
Walking into Cliff’s Edge, we were instantly smitten with the romantic, hidden restaurant and still cannot stop talking about the fantastic meal.
In between the poached oysters topped with crispy squid ink and the salty/sweet caramel custard was, what is now, my very favorite pork dish in Los Angeles.
Wow. Just WOW! Vartan’s Suckling Pig with Crepinette (pork ball wrapped in caul fat), Pork Loin (right), Pork Belly and savoy cabbage, sweet potato, saison, pork jus.
Pork Belly Close-up! Peter called this “Pork Cake”.
Pork Loin Close-up!
There were gorgeous vegetables and barbecued octopus too, but I just can’t stop thinking about all the pork love.
My friend Josh Lurie aka @FoodGPS wrote a great piece about the dish here.
Cliff’s Edge
3626 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 666-6116
website
Filed under Eating Out, Hot Chefs
Domenico Ristorante
Finally, Domenico Ristorante in Silver Lake is open!
I first met the restaurant’s executive chef last December, when I attended a molecular gastronomy class he taught at Sur la Table (at the Grove). Chef Michael Young spoke about his passion for Italian cooking, but the various classes I took from him were mostly about making groovy foams and far-out spherifications. I was really looking forward to trying his authentic, Italian FOOD, not just the modern recipes we made together in class. And finally, five months later, I got my first taste.
After making the reservation for Saturday night, I suddenly felt a little nervous. What if, by chance, I didn’t like Chef Young’s cooking? Just because I thought he was a great instructor and could make perfect fruit “caviar”, didn’t automatically mean that he’d be a great chef too.
The motto for my blog is: “If I like it, I share it… If I don’t, I don’t!”. Which means, if I don’t like something I’ve tasted on a restaurant’s menu, then I simply don’t write about that particular dish. Someone once told me that I’m “doing a disservice to the public” if I only write about positive experiences, but that’s just who I am, and I want my site to reflect that. I feel so grateful that I get to eat at all these wonderful places, and my favorite part (besides the actual eating) is sharing all the tasty photos. Plus, I figure with so many bloggers writing about the same restaurants in Los Angeles, it’s easy to figure out what dishes NOT to order.
We had a 7pm reservation on Saturday night, but Peter and I arrived early so I could take a few photos of the restaurant exterior. Our friends Julian and Wendy joined us a few minutes later, and soon we were nibbling on fried olives and sipping glasses of luscious primitivo wine. The restaurant doesn’t have a liquor licence yet, but you can bring in your own wine with no cover charge (for the time being).
A Mano primitivo wine is our favorite Italian red, and we first learned about it from the great Mario Batali himself. He recommended it during a seminar we went to in New York, and it’s been a staple in our home ever since. Not only is it deliciously robust (think zinfandel), but at $10 a bottle we can afford to drink it all the time.
Looking over the menu, I wasn’t sure what to order at first. Domenico Ristorante is so new that I found barely a “yelp” online. One thing I did read about was the “wild boar ragu” so I definitely wanted to try that, but overall I felt lost without my regular “must order” list for the evening. Peter was in worse shape than me, since he never even looks at a menu when we go out. I’ve usually selected what we’re sharing ahead of time, and he actually likes not having the pressure of deciding.
The restaurant’s owner, Domenico Frasca, must have noticed we were a bit perplexed, and asked, “would you like the chef to select dishes for you”? The four of us giggled with anticipation as we handed over the menus. We spent the next three hours happily working our way through Prosciutto Riserva, Fried Parmesan with Balsamic, Crudo of Scottish Halibut, Risotto with Winter Truffle, Rootbeer-braised Kobe Beef, the Wild Boar Ragu and more!
Dinner wasn’t just “great”, the entire evening was exceptional: From the sexy decor (white, leather banquets), to the gorgeous waiters (I only remember Paolo’s name because he wrote it down along with the name of a pasta), to the friendly and cordial Domenico himself. Of course, it’s Chef Michael Young’s cooking that will have me coming back for more, and you can bet I’ll be trying each and every positively delicious bite on the menu!
Menu
Charcuterie: Salame Felino, Parmigiano Stravecchio, Prosciutto Riserva,Parma Butter, Horseradish Pesto and Mostarda Mantovana
Fluke: Crudo of Scottish Halibut, Tuscan Chickpea Salad
Fried Parmigiano with 30 yr old Balsamic Vinegar
Pastificio Gragnano Fusilloni with Wild Boar Ragu
Risotto with Asparagus, Black Winter Truffle and Quail egg
Rootbeer -braised Kobe Short Rib, Sweet Corn Polenta, Horseradish Foam
Torta della nonna (Ricotta Pinenut Tart)
Rasberry chocolate tart, Chantilly cream, Rasberry Sugar
a peek at the interior
Chef Michael Young speaking to my husband Peter
Chef Eliaza
In the kitchen with Chef Eliazar and Domenico Executive Chef Michael Young
Domenico Ristorante
1637 Silver Lake Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 661-6166
Sur la Table Classes (locations & calendar)
Filed under Eating Out
“Airs & Spheres” – Adventures in Molecular Cooking [5]
Molecular Gastronomy Class #2 – “Airs and Mozzarella Spheres”
“Laboratory Work” was the title of the second Molecular Gastronomy class I attended in February, and it was so much more fun than the first. Instead of learning just one recipe throughout the afternoon, we were allowed to work on several. My favorites included: Airs, Mozzarella Spheres, “Wine” Caviar, and Hot Ice Cream.
Like the initial class I took back in November, this was also taught by Chef Michael Young at Sur la Table in Los Angeles. I was joined again by husband Peter and food-lovin’ nephew Cody and fellow foodblogger Phil (My Life as a Foodie) and his friend, Jill.
Before coming to class, I was most excited about learning how to make “airs”. Since purchasing Ferran Adria’s el Bulli (molecular gastronomy) mini kit, I hadn’t yet had the courage to try out the Lecite, which is part of the ‘EMULSIFICACIÓN’ Group. Lecite is a natural soy lecithin-based emulsifier, and it’s ideal for making flavored airs (links below).
As it turns out, making foams and airs was easy: add the Lecite and whip until frothy!
Recipe for Carrot Air:
18 oz carrot juice
3g lecithin (aka lecite), food grade
Place the carrot juice and lecite into a large bowl and blend with a stick-blender until foaming. Scoop out whipped “air” from top and serve.
In photos: Cody and Peter, Carrot air, Phil, Jill, Cody and Peter
I’ve had mozarrella spheres at the Bazaar several times, so I really enjoyed learning how to make them in class!
Recipe for Mozzarella Spheres:
250 g Buffalo Mozzerella
150 g Heavy Cream
5 g Calcium Lactate (1.25%)
Tomato Juice (optional)
1 L. Water
5 g Sodium Alginate (0.5%)
1. Mix mozzarella with cream and calcium lactate.
2. Fill bowl with water and add sodium alginate.
3. Stir until dissolved.
4. Transfer mozzarella mix to alginate bath.
5. Allow 2 minutes for setting
Optional: Inject spheres with tomato juice and serve. Note: We had a difficult time injecting the tomato juice, so I would probably leave that part out if trying for the first time.
In photos: Trying to inject the mozzarella balls with tomato juice.
Making the apple caviar was easy this time around, since I’ve made it several times myself at home. After our group finished making the caviar, Peter said “to heck with apple juice, where’s the alcohol?” Chef Young overheard and handed Peter an open bottle of wine, and that’s when we REALLY started having fun. The wine caviar was fantastic, and it will make for a whole new twist on “Wine and Cheese” nights for sure!
Recipe for Apple Caviar
9 oz. Apple Juice (or wine, we used red)
2 g (.07 oz.) Sodium Alginate
18 oz. water
2.5 g (.09 oz.) Calcium Chloride
1. Mix the sodium alginate with 1/2 of the apple juice and blend until dissolved.
2. Mix in remaining juice, strain and allow to sit to remove any air bubbles.
3. Dissolve the calcium chloride in the water.
4. Fill syringe or squeeze bottle with the juice mixture.
5. Softly expel mixture into calcium chloride bath drop by drop.
6. After a minute, remove gently with a tea strainer and rinse gently in cold water.
Apple Caviar
Photo above: Peter’s wine “caviar”!
When Chef Young said he would be demonstrating how to make “Hot Ice Cream”, all I could think about was the deep-fried ice cream balls I used to order at El Torito restaurant, but this was nothing like my favorite high school dinner-date treat! It was also the most difficult “recipe” of the day. So difficult, that we all pretty much just watched our instructor take us through each step over the stove.
Recipe for “Hot Ice Cream”
306 g Whole Milk Yogurt
230 g Cream Cheese
80 g Agave Nectar
154 g Water
1 Vanilla Bean, scraped
1 Pinch of Sea Salt
11.55 g. Methyl Cellulose (1.5%)
Ice bath
1. In a blender puree together the yogurt, cream cheese, agave nectar, vanilla and salt. Blend just until the mixture comes together as a smooth puree, but do not aerate.
2. Heat the water to a boil. As soon as it’s boiling remove from heat and whisk in the methyl cellulose.
3. Once the methyl cellulose is dispersed, add it to the blender and puree until the mixture is homogenized, again do not aerate.
4. Prepare ice bath. Pour mixture into a bowl and chill in ice bath. Set the ice-cold mixture rest in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight before poaching the ice cream.
5. When ready to make hot ice cream, heat a pot of water to a boil. When the water boils, shut off the heat and scoop the ice cream base.
6. As you scoop, wipe the edges of the ice cream scoop and then immerse the scoop and its contents into the hot water. You will see the ice cream set, and then dislodge it from the scoop. The ice cream should poach for about one minute for small scoops and longer for larger scoops. Depending on the size you may have to turn the heat back on to keep the water hot.
7. Once the ice cream is set, remove the scoops and drain briefly on a paper towel and place into serving dishes. As the mixture sits, the ice cream will melt.
Please note: I did not test this recipe myself, but it was fascinating to watch and was delicious. My Cody nephew thought it would be perfect on a freshly-made waffle.
Photos: Phil, Chef young, Jill, Cody and Peter. “Hot” Ice Cream made with Methyl Cellulose.
Class Date: 2/22/2009
Sur la Table, Los Angeles (at the Grove)
Cost $89
Mentioned Above:
All photos from this molecular gastronomy class
Where to buy molecular ingredients
Albert & Ferran Adria Textura site (spanish)
All recipes above adapted by Chef Michael Young
Domenico Ristorante (Chef Michael Young)
Why I call it “Molecular Cooking”
Check out My Life As A Foodie’s awesome Podcast of our class!
Filed under Molecular Cooking, Recipes
Chef Michael Young
I first met Chef Michael Young at Sur la Table, when he was my instructor at a Molecular Gastronomy class, and he’s the one I credit for kick-starting my “molecular cooking” 
obsession. If he didn’t make it seem so fun and attainable, I would have never been able to make fruit “caviar” at home.
Before arriving to the class, I imagined that Chef Young would be an older “scientist-looking” gentleman, or maybe an aloof “know-it-all”, arrogant chef. I couldn’t have been more WRONG. Chef Young was friendly, knowledgeable and I just have to say it… super cute!
My husband just laughed when I made a comment about our “hot” instructor (because I’m old enough to be his mother, well maybe his aunt, okay I’m settling for big sister!), but I thought it was perfect that the teacher showing us how to make molecular candy, was in fact a piece of eye candy himself. And in case anyone is thinking of taking his class for non-molecular reasons, Chef Michael Young does indeed have a beautiful girlfriend.
A few weeks after the class, Peter and I invited Chef Young out for a bite to eat. It turns out that he lives near us in Studio City, so we met up at Max Restaurant on Ventura. I love the angus burgers and potted chicken liver (that I eat with french fries), and Chef Young hadn’t been there since they remodeled the restaurant. Over dinner (and bottles of wine that he graciously brought to share), we learned that Chef Young graduated (with honors) from Boston College, and holds a degree in Italian Literature. Needless to say he is fluent in Italian and is certified by A.I.S., the Italian Sommeliers Association.
As he was telling us about his cooking experiences in Italy, I realized… he is NOT just a cute, young, up-and-coming chef… he is so much more. Articulate and highly experienced, he is currently preparing for the opening of Domenico Ristorante (as Executive Chef), which is scheduled to open next month in Silver Lake.
While writing this post I couldn’t remember the details of his work in Italy so I asked Chef Young for a copy of his bio. I blame it on the wine, but it was all so interesting that I wanted a recap :
“While his name may be misleading, Michael Young is an American chef of Italian descent. He speaks Italian fluently and has traveled and worked extensively throughout Italy, including the 2-star Michelin “Ristorante Ambasciata.” He lived in and frequently revisits Parma, the gastronomical capital of Italy. “While I am Southern Italian in my heart, living in Northern Italy gave me a whole different perspective.” Michael attributes his skill at making homemade pasta and his never ending love and appreciation of charcuterie, cheese and mostarda to his time in Parma. 
Michael has worked in many of the top Italian kitchens of Los Angeles including Valentino, Il Grano and Drago. “My proudest moment was opening Piccolo Cipriani (now Piccolo) with Stefano DeLorenzo and Antonio Mure`. It was wonderful to see a restaurant so true to its ideals open and blossom.” Most recently, Michael served as a Chef Instructor at the Le Cordon Bleu program in Pasadena, where he taught International Cuisine and helped run the school restaurant. He also served as a point person for guest chefs from Italy and France. “The highlight of my teaching experience was to work side by side with my idol and close friend Daniel Rossi (former chef of Citrus).” Michael identifies his role models as Piero Selvaggio, Angelo Auriana and Salvatore Marino. “Piero showed me what it means to be the constant professional and to remain sincere in all things. Angelo (longtime chef of Valentino) taught me how to run a kitchen. Finally, Sal demonstrated that if you do things the right way and work as hard as you can, people will eventually take notice.”
I’m so looking forward to the opening of Domenico Ristorante because I haven’t yet tasted Chef Young’s cooking, and you can bet my husband and I will both be there as soon as it does!
Domenico Ristorante
1637 Silver Lake Boulevard
Los Angeles 90026
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http://DomenicoRistoranteSilverlake.com/
The Molecular Gastronomy Class
Update 5/3/09: Domenico Ristorante is OPEN
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