LudoBites: Best of Foie Gras (and its last hurrahs in CA)

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke

As anyone who loves food (or animals) in California already knows, legislation banning foie gras is set to be enforced starting this July. It's a controversial subject in the food world, that has had both sides of the protest up in figurative arms.

With all that is going on in the world, it may seem silly to be so caught up in the politics of food, especially a luxury item like foie gras - which most Californians either do not enjoy, find morally reprehensible, have no interest in trying, or simply find cost prohibitive.  It is a relatively small contingent of food lovers who truly appreciate the luscious lobes in all its glory.

With world hunger, poverty, political instability, global climate change - is it entirely self-indulgent to rise up about a luxury good?

Yes and no. You can make the argument on both sides - is it equally 'frivolous' for PETA activists to sensationalize and witchhunt this cause (comprised of a relatively small group of artisan farms), when chickens are raised on a massive scale in conditions a million times more horrendous and impacts a much wider population of both birds and humans (as uncovered by the salmonella outbreak of 2010 that sickened 1,500 people and triggered a recall of 500 million eggs)?  Why is foie the priority when the poultry industry has animals living in such squalor that they are passing on disease and risking human lives at such huge numbers?  Could it be that they know victory against the giant poultry industry would be all but impossible - whereas small farms that produce foie would be easy prey?

And to me, on the other side, it is much more than just a small group of 'the privileged' 'whining' that they won't get their treats anymore.  Nevermind that the whole system by nature is designed to ensure the animals are well taken care of (among other things, this produces quality food - quality foie fetches a premium price - so farmers have a vested interest in the fowl living well).  Nevermind explanations that ducks/geese are migratory birds that do not have a gag reflex and naturally gorge seasonally to prepare for extended flight.  Whether or not birds are harmed can and will be disputed ad infinitum and ad nauseum in the absence of empirical scientific studies - and as in any other industry in the history of civilization, there will be bad producers that should be punished individually for their practices versus triggering an unjust blanket policy that indiscriminately disables business for the good ones as well. But at its core the fundamental issue with the foie ban is that government is now legislating our diets - it's a slippery slope.  If we let this slide now, it is a matter of time before there are no more lines.  What's to stop them from determining that ALL meat represents cruelty to animals - afterall, we are ultimately taking their lives?  In fact, what's to stop legislators from determining whatever they want about what we should and should not eat?  What's next to go after meat? You can make an argument for anything if you really put your mind to it.
We absolutely need government to enforce standards of cleanliness and safety in the kitchen, for public health reasons.  If an animal is on the endangered species list - absolutely the government should step in to prevent their extinction. But outside of that, we don't need a nanny/big brother state to control what we can and cannot eat.

This is not a case of California boldly going where no other government has gone before - Chicago also sucuumbed to PETA pressure in 2006 and outlawed foie, but quickly realized it was "the silliest thing they've ever done" and repealed the law.  Here's to hoping California comes to its senses soon as well.

With foie a key ingredient in French cooking (and essentially civilized cooking dating back to ancient Egyptians), the upcoming ban effectively cauterizes the heart of French cuisine in the state.  Chef Ludo Lefebvre has been a vocal crusader against this ban - and has hosted foie-centric dinners in simultaneous heated protest of the ban and joyous celebration of the ingredient.  There was an 8-course all foie meal in collaboration with Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook of Animal that I could not afford - and then a 1-night-only pop-up titled 'Best of LudoBites Foie Gras' (which ended up stretching to two nights) that I couldn't get a reservation for.  But as luck would have it, kind friends @EatsMeetsWest and @dorkyfoodie connected me with a benefactor - @Limer35 who had an extra seat at his table - and off I went for a culinary adventure unlike any other!

The concept of the dinner was a collection of Ludo's best foie dishes from past iterations of his pop-up restaurant.  I'd only been to two of them (007 at Gram & Papas and 8.0 at Lemon Moon), so I was really looking forward to 'caching up' on the unknown foie dishes.  To amuse our bouches: the meal kicked off with Foie Gras Cromesqui "MM".  These were basically croquettes filled with liquified foie and black truffles.  We were specifically instructed to just pop them in our mouths in one bite so that the liquid center isn't wasted leaking out onto the plate - but I couldn't resist the interior shot...look at that beautiful color! 

Next up was what was chosen by most in our party as favorite dish of the night: Foie Gras Dynamite, tuna, lichi this one showed off Chef Ludo's boundless creativity: a lobe of foie gras was seared, then placed in the center of a ring of tuna tartare, which is then blanketed by white balsamic and salmon roe infused mayonnaise and clementine sauce.  You would expect the heavy creaminess of the mayo to overpower the tuna and be driven to excess with the already rich, buttery foie - but Ludo skillfully balances all elements so that they work perfectly together - the clean, refreshing and untouched centers of the tuna tartare pieces and surprising juicy bursts of sweet lychee cutting neatly through the flavorful, rich sauce; the tiny, delicate orbs of salmon roe counterbalancing the butteriness of the whole of the dish texturally.  A unique and beautiful piece.

Next up was a new interpretation of my favorite dish from LudoBites 8.0: Foie Gras Miso Soup, radish, turnips. At 8.0, beautiful rounds of foie had been placed into a creamy mushroom soup with squid-ink dyed breadcrumbs and a bit of port, and blew my mind as I've never seen nor would ever think to put foie in soup, but it worked.  In this version, foie was placed into miso soup with some radish and turnips for crunch.  I didn't actually enjoy this soup as much, as I found it overly salty and pungent, and the overabundance of veggies (and their constant crunch) distracted from the gorgeously smooth texture of the foie.

Then another amazingly creative piece: Foie Gras Black Croque-Monsieur, Grapes this was basically a PB&J, all grown up, moved to a metropolitan city and running with an uppercrust of friends of culture and sophistication. And mastered the art of the dramatic entrance. Instead of peanut butter, there was buttery foie.  Instead of jelly between the bread, there was cheese.  Instead of plain white bread, there was squid-ink dyed black toasts, the better to contrast with and highlight the foie oozing out from it.  The jelly (grape) was pushed off to the side.  I loved the novel feeling of the incredible, lush flanks of foie running over the edges of toast and cheese - and those flavors (this I say as my eyes close and roll back at the mere memory).  The only thing I would have changed was maybe to pat the bottom of the sandwich with a paper towel first, as it was dripping in grease from the foie and cheese.  The jelly was not too memorable and didn't love the presence of pieces of seeds. 

Next was probably tied for my favorite of the night along with the Dynamite dish: Foie Gras "Crepinette," morels, pears, green asparagus I absolutely adored this in its unique texture and flavor. I enjoyed it so much I forgot to stop and take a "cross section" shot :( But essentially this was a lobe of foie wrapped in sweetbread casing then in caul fat, then smothered in an amazing mushroom sauce with bits of pear and asparagus.  When I cut into this 'steak' of foie it was like cutting into some juicy rotisserie chicken - the caul fat had that resilient texture of nicely roasted chicken skin, but underneath that instead of tasteless meat the inside was a smooth, creamy, and yes I'm gonna overuse the word luscious piece of foie.  I've never had anything like it and wish Ludo had a permanent space so I could go back and have more of this.  The asparagus added nice contrasting crunch, as did the small pieces of pear which also punctuated all the heaviness with a little bit of sweet.  There were also grilled ramps which had just a hint of char and nice salinity.

  

For the finish: Foie Gras Sundae, brioche, black berries - this I wanted to love but couldn't, maybe as I just recently tried Chef Gisele Wellman's foie gras ice cream sandwich at Petrossian - and Ludo's could not match it in creaminess. The foie ice cream at LudoBites in fact felt a bit dry and powdery...and the berries didn't taste super fresh as I expected them to.  But the pieces of brioche, toasted in duck fat - were divine.

All in all, another inspired meal from creative force of nature Chef Ludo - the best of the last hurrahs for a beloved ingredient (at least until the law gets repealed).  The experience was bittersweet given the context for the event - but I am grateful for people like Ludo who have the will and fortitude to speak up and stand up for what they believe, and for the right to be free from arbitrary culinary censorship.  I am grateful for friends, old and new, to share a common passion - and who never ceases to amaze me with their generous spirits.  It reminds me that food should be something that connects people, not divides. It would be too easy to demonize those who you disagree with, but at the end of the day I hope that until scientific studies prove definitively one way or the other, that the two sides of the foie debate can agree to disagree, and respect each other's right to choose.

 
On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6.5 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (3 bite marks mains)
Probability of return visit - 100% (hopefully there will be more of these foie dinners before July!)
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Best of LudoBites Foie Gras Night at Gram & Papa's
227 East 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Ph: 213.624.7272

Website: ludolefebvre.com/ludobites
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Save the Date: Best of Last Hurrahs for Foie

What: Ludo.  And Foie. Get it before the stupidest waste-of-time law in the land (given all that is wrong with the state and country - of all the things they can focus on...don't even get me started) - the banning of foie gras in California, is enforced this July.

When: Tuesday, April 17th

Where: Gram & Papa's 227 East 9th Street, Los Angeles, CA

How much: $105 per person for 5-course dinner

How to get reservations: Knowing that reservations are always in high demand, and wanting to serve fans in the fairest possible way - Ludo & genius marketer wife Krissy are again using Urbanspoon as an objective third party to run a reservations lottery. Submit your name for a chance to get a reservation to the dinner, April 13th 10am through April 14th 10am, at Urbanspoon here.

Anticipated drool-factor?: 500% LudoBites dinners are always full of surprises: incredibly creative AND delicious fare. Plus a portion of proceeds from the event will be donated to CHEFS - the Coalition for Humane and Ethical Farming Standards.  Eat well, do good, win-win.

LudoBites 8: Lemon Moon: Out of this World

The announcement of LudoBites is that event each year that has food lovers quivering with excitement, like the promise of a new food frontier - so many unknowns, in unchartered culinary territory, in the best way possible. (If you don't want to spend the next few minutes reading the ravings of yet another LudoBites fan, now is the time to turn back.)

This year, the surprise element extended even to the reservation process itself - instead of an 'open the virtual floodgates' moment on OpenTable, which had caused site crashes and record-breaking sellout times (weeks of bookings for the pop-up in under a minute!) - this time reservations were done through a lottery system via Urbanspoon. You submit the dates you want, cross your fingers, and hold your breath for a rose...erm, I mean, confirmation email.

Though I was disappointed when I didn't manage to get a booking, I was hopeful, based on the experience with LudoBites 007 that I might be able to score a walk-in, if I go early enough.  And as luck would have it, just a week or two before the start of LudoBites 8 - I sealed the deal on a new job in West LA, a short hyper-drive to the (Lemon) Moon!

So it was that I pulled up to the bar one night after work, for the only thing that is predictable with LudoBites - for my mind to be blown.

It started with the Chicken Tandoori Crackling ($5) - a specimen that has most explorers asking: why has no one thought of this before?  The concept is fantastic - quenelles of creamy chicken liver mousse dropped on landing pads of crisp fried chicken skin. With a bit of heat from tandoori spices.  And the slightest crunch from beautiful salt crystals.  In texture sort of like a super gourmet cheese and crackers combo...The concept and presentation were both breath-taking; in taste, I liked the dish but personally would have wanted the mousse to be a little more delicate and not quite as dense and pungent.

Celery Root Soup, Foie Gras, Mushrooms, Ash ($22) - this one blew my mind on all fronts, immediately.  Foie gras, in soup? Genius.  And the presentation was like a work of art - with layers of sliced mushrooms blooming out from a gentle smattering of breadcrumbs dyed with squid ink and charred to an 'ash'-like texture.  In the lushest, creamiest soup. 

The soup came with instructions: "let it sit for a few minutes, so the foie can 'cook' a bit in the soup".  It was definitely worth the wait - each spoonful was a revelation: black, earth, liquid gold, cream, crumbs, crunch, broth, lush, buttery foie, upswell of beautiful purple port wine hidden just below the 'crust' of mushrooms.

This was a madly ingenious creation - a definite fav 'best of' dish that I couldn't resist repeating on a second trip! If I could I would eat this every day for the rest of my life and be happy.

One of the things that I admire most about truly creative and passionate chefs is the risks that they are willing to take - they really put themselves out there, reclaiming / reinventing our preconceived ideas about and experiences of food. 

Sometimes the alchemy of their brilliance with the right ingredients, preparation and setting produces proof of divine design - like the foie gras soup - but sometimes the results of the gambler's toss is not as ideal.

Personally I thought the Squid Ink Rice Pudding, Squid, Lardo, Kumquats ($14) belonged to the latter group - the concept absolutely blew me away, and I wanted to love it - but in terms of taste it just didn't keep drawing my fork back to the plate.  What was it?  The only way I can describe it is sort of like a giant dumpling filled with what looks and crunches like slivers of squid - but are really pieces of rice pudding made to look and feel almost indistinguishable from squid - spiced with some red/orange flecks that might be chili powder and/or powdered kumquats, and made to sit on top of a sludge of squid ink dyed...squid ink pudding?  This was an alien form that I wanted to love, as it was SO 'out there' - my brain was teased and I loved it - but my taste buds unfortunately didn't.

On Steamed Foie Gras in Apple Cider, Apple Tapioca, Buckwheat ($34) - as soon as I sat down, I had pretty much asked the server to bring me every dish containing foie (we only have til July until a ridiculous law banning sale of foie in California will be enforced, effectively cauterizing the heart of french cooking).  In the meantime, I was glad I got to taste the divinity that was in this bowl - the most perfect lobe of gorgeous, decadent foie, in an essential cold 'soup' of apple cider that though just a little too tart, cut through the richness of the liver nicely.  Throw little soft orbs of tapioca into the mix along with toasted buckwheat rounds for crunch and counterbalance, and you have a very original way to serve foie.

I had just enough room left by that point for one more dish - and asked for help with picking among the amazing options, it was too hard to choose on my own!  I had painstakingly narrowed it down to the Monkfish Liver dish and the Thai Snapper, Eucalyptus Oil, Leeks, Potato, Manzanilla ($26)- after all that lush goose liver, I was advised to go with the fish for a little something different, and that way also the monkfish liver doesn't pale in comparison to the foie.

I definitely appreciated the recommendation as soon as the plate of fish was within sight. The plate was in a word - art.  It looked like something that had washed up on the beach, exactly like this, but you know that can't be true because all the ingredients besides the fish itself, came from the ground.  So your brain and eyes go back and forth like this for a while, and you admire the beauty of the presentation - before setting out to explore what lies beneath the waves of apple and topping of fried fish skin.

So below was another surprise - thin, fresh made potato chips.  No, not as in the British-reference - real, thin, crunchy ovular petals of fried potato. A brilliant play on the ole fish 'n chips - well played, Ludo, well played.

And if you had to look up manzanilla - I did too - it's apparently spanish for chamomile. I couldn't see anything floral on the plate, but overall the fish had nuanced flavors that were clean and simply amazing. Especially when you make sure to grab a little bit of every element on the plate in each forkful.

This turned out to be one of the best tasting and most creative serving of fish I have ever had.  Loved it so much it would rival for my affections for foie.

On the night I went the first time to LudoBites 8, they were not serving the much raved about Uni Creme Brulee, Coffee - which meant I *had* to go back another night for it (twist my arm, not!).  This one was every bit as extraordinary as everyone said - and on the second visit, even more so as Krissy mentioned they had to source their uni from Japan (which pushed the price up to $34, but well worth it!). 

Uni (sea urchin) was worked into a creme, which was then topped with sugar syrup and torched for a nice, caramelized crust and smokey flavor, topped by delicious pearls of salmon roe (ikura) that exploded in your mouth like mini supernovas of fresh brine.

Then the whole thing was topped by frothy cappuccino foam.  It was all kinds of umami and sweet and subtle bitter all at once.

I wish I could eat this every week...(Ludo when are you going to open up a restaurant?!)

Another thing I love about LudoBites that I only found out about firsthand, on the second visit, is that certain dishes will change out even during the same edition of the pop-up, to keep guests guessing.  On the second time round the new dish in was Scallops, Cauliflower Panna Cotta, Yogurt-Madras Curry ($19).  I thought the cross sections of cauliflower were beautiful, and reminded me of paper-cutouts of trees used in shadow puppet play, or some fanciful pop-up book (could this truly be the inspiration?).  These lightly crunchy trees sat atop lovely rounds of scallop, ever so lightly cooked so that their centers are still sashimi-like.  Served with a dollop of cauliflower panna cotta on the side, and topped by yogurt-curry sauce for slight heat and a bold beautiful saffron color.  All on a bed of pommes puree.  Really lovely.

And of course, science has shown (not, but I think it's true anyway because you should believe everything you read on the internet) that there is a 'second stomach' for dessert, even after gorging on all those rich dishes, I still had room for the Lemon Meringue, Poppy Seed Crumble, Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($13).  Another artful presentation with a small 'castle' formed by 'towers' of meringue and lemon cream, atop crumbly sand made with poppy seed, with a wheel of orange rind.  A nice refreshing dessert after a decadent meal.

All in all, an inspired, epic, out of this world meal, one of the best I've had so far this year.

[On a side note, I've talked about my favorite things food-wise about LudoBites, but there's one other thing I want to note too - that after all their enormous successes, in and out of the kitchen and with their own TV show - Krissy and Ludo seem to have remained exactly who they always were, and in every moment effuse passion for and dedication to what they're doing.  Krissy's the one answering the phones for reservations, she's personally welcoming and seating guests, helping set tables during pre-opening, and wiping them down after. Expediting or serving plates as needed. Ludo's in the kitchen pretty much the whole time cooking unless accommodating excited guests' requests for photos with him.  This is just what I can see of them in the restaurant - don't know them personally, but love them for all the reasons above - in addition to the mnd-blowing food of course.]

And also true to Krissy's marketing genius, though their last service just happened tonight - they've already started promoting to their next pop-up, which will for the first time be in Hawaii.  Which yes will make it unfortunately hard for those of us who live in LA to get to - but that dangles the promise of possibility of things to come: foie outside the boundaries of the tyrant state and its foie-banning legislation.  And Urbanspoon is running a sweepstakes with them for a trip to Hawaii for two to experience LudoBites 9 - which will be held at the Four Seasons Resort:  Hualalai starting March 6th. All you have to do is "like" Urbanspoon on Facebook AND make a free reservation at participating restaurants in either LA, Seattle or San Francisco for a chance to win.  See details and official rules here.  Good luck!!!]

 
On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6.5 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (3 bite marks mains)
Probability of return visit - 100% (if I can even get in!)

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LudoBites 8 at Lemon Moon
12200 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Ph: 310.442.9191

Website: ludolefebvre.com/ludobites/lemon-moon
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LudoBites 007: License to Thrill / The Living Daylights

LudoBites - you could call it extreme cooking, with unpredictable locations and kitchen conditions, thrown into the crucible of not a lot of time - yet churning out consistently inventive culinary creations. Time magazine's "chef of the future". New twins.  And now Ludo Bites America on Sundance Channel, a fun format of culinary road trip / cross country adventure + drama of world class chef meets small town kitchens + inside look into husband and wife as business partners and how that works.  Is there anything that Ludo and Krissy Lefebvre can't do?

Ever since the team pretty much invented the pop-up concept in LA, they've been steadily attracting legions of fans ready to pounce on the first hint of a reservation. So when LudoBites 007 was first announced, to be held at Gram & Papa's August 3-September 10, food lovers across the city scrambled to get their OpenTable accounts ready to trigger one-click reservation requests, in hopeful and eager anticipation of the figurative 'opening bell' of availability. The lucky ones snagged reservations - but many met with disappointment when, in just 1 minute, all dates and times were fully booked. Such is the draw and the power of LudoBites.

Though that is the fairest way to offer out the limited number of reservations, it still leaves those of us - myself included - who didn't get one, all the more crushed to read about yet another amazing menu via other people's blog posts.

And this time all my favorite ingredients were on the menu. 

I was despairing of needing to move to some small town like Mobile, that may be on the itinerary for LudoBites America 2.0, in order to ever have a chance to taste his food - when a fellow blogger reminded me that - hello - I could just try to catch cancellations when they are announced.  But where was I to find 3-5 other people ready to drive like a bat out of hell, to downtown LA, on a moment's notice?  I considered hanging outside the place, like KevinEats did, to try to catch a table - but again I didn't know anyone else passionate enough about food to wait around, in the backyard of Skid Row, for the possibility of getting a table.  Plus, I work in the Valley, and office hours are 9-6, so there's no way to get downtown in time to snag a walk-in at 6.  And everyone is going to be vying for walk-ins on weekends.

So, I begrudgingly came to terms with the fact that I was going to miss out on LudoBites.  Again.  Until last night. 

On my way back from D23 in Anaheim, I realized that downtown was sorta on my way back home - and since I left the event a bit early - I was in the downtown area by about 5:15.  I was by myself, but screw it - if I waited around for people to do things I wanted to do, I'd never get anything done.  And this was on my way home.  However, I had spied on Twitter that walk-in seating was 'al fresco' on Skid Row - so, being the way I am, I Googled time of sunset: 7:35pm.  Plenty of time to eat and get outta there before The Living Daylights are gone literally and figuratively, if I got the 6pm seating. So, I crossed my fingers and reset my Waze app with a new destination:  Gram & Papas.

I was relieved when I arrived, that it was just a block from the California Market Center in the fashion district (though I had a bit of a scare last year post Unique/Artisanal LA, after dark and I couldn't find the lot where I parked - but this time there was a spot right around the corner, on Santee) and there was a meter that was free after 6pm.  So I plugged in a few quarters and went on my way.  In front of the place were two couples already waiting - one with a reservation, one without.  There were only two tables for walk-ins - so I was ecstatic when I realized I had a good chance of getting the other one!  And when Krissy herself came to the door to greet everyone, and said that I could have the other table - that totally made my week (it'd been a rough one)!

So, I kicked off the meal with a Lavender Ginger Lemonade ($4) - no cocktails are on menu due to lack of liquor license (lots of people were going BYOB) - but this was the perfect drink for me after the long week - lavender for destressing, citrus for refreshment, and ginger to contribute a subtle kick to wake up the tastebuds.

I wanted to order everything on the menu - but with limited stomach capacity, decided on the ones that either contained my favorite ingredients, or had unusual combinations of ingredients that you probably would not see on anyone else's menu. I went with a few small plates, the better to sample more dishes.

The first one out was Salt Cod Panna Cotta, Whipped Fingerling Potato, Smoked Tapioca ($12) - this was an interesting double re-intepretation of the classic fish+some kind of cream sauce+side of carbs/veg dish, and entree vs. dessert.  Panna cotta is usually served as a dessert, but here Ludo infuses it with savory flavors normally used in a main dish.  Salt cod instead of something like vanilla or caramel, topped by whipped potato instead of cream.  And smoked tapioca balls to evoke caviar, swimming in a shallow lake of olive oil.  I absolutely loved the concept and taste of this dish - each bite a surprise, because you see the shape and presentation of a dessert, but then in sneaks delicious savory flavors in smooth olive oil, accented by fleur de sel crystals (?).  The consistency of the panna cotta though was somewhere between creme brulee and a hearty goat cheese (though not quite as crumbly).  I ended up ignoring the croutons on the side after tasting a few - I wanted them to be a bit more crispy vs. hardcore crunchy.

Onion Tart, Bottarga ($10) was next - beautifully presented at generous size on a chopping block.  Loved the well-balanced interplay of caramelized onion with creamy cheese with the distinct taste of bottarga (one of my favorite ingredients), punctuated by fragrant sprinkles of thyme.  All on a light, almost paper thin crust.  Truly lovely piece that I'd order again if I could ever get another seat at a LudoBites 007 table.

Next up: Egg, Sea Urchin, Caviar, Champagne Beurre Blanc ($18) I couldn't leave without trying this one as sea urchin triggers a Pavlovian response in me. Add egg, caviar, champagne and butter to the mix and you can get me to do practically anything.  Just reading the name, made me think this could possibly be the most perfect dish ever made.  Loved the playfulness of layering egg upon (fish) egg, upon...ok sea urchin doesn't count, those are actually gonads. But it was pretty much like surf & turf: egg edition.  And then making that connection from caviar to champagne, but in beurre blanc.  The dish was pretty amazing - the egg was wet-scrambled into small pieces, light and rolls over the tongue, flavored with the unique taste of uni (though this could have been more pronounced), taken over the top in a great way with the luxurious champagne beurre blanc 'sauce', plus the generous briny dollop of caviar.  Garlic (?) flowers added a light and beautiful extra touch of seasoning.  This is another one I could eat 10 of, if I can get back in again.

Foie Gras, "French Dim Sum" Crispy Kimchi, Sake-Black Truffle Cream ($28) - loved this dish of course - not only because it featured truffle AND foie (I die) - but because it's such an almost feverish fusion re-imagining of a classic Italian dish.  And it's aptly named, as with its asian-inspired flavors the pieces were more akin to dumplings than ravioli. The yin/yang of smooth, earthy, buttery foie with the 'brash', bold, crunch of kimchi worked unexpectedly well together.  I would have liked a little less of the oils from the kimchi, but overall a truly great dish.  And the light, foamy and intoxicatingly fragrant sake and black truffle cream was the perfect counterbalancer to tie everything on the plate together.

And of course, I had to save room for dessert.  The Lavender Tropezienne Tart, Aloe Vera, Lychee ($10) was a gorgeous (and giant) dessert that was like Christmas to me.  Like some beautiful forest scene, the morning after snowfall, pure and untouched.  And then the surprise of juicy summer fruits (strawberries and lychee) hidden inside.  I don't really have words to describe this beyond that.  Except maybe to note that it was so huge, it was almost a meal in itself - I took it home and had it for breakfast and it was just as good.

All in all, an inspired and amazing meal, one of the best I've had this year.  To those who may be weary of all the hype, and crowds, and possibly having the living daylights scared out of you by having to be downtown etc. etc. - get up and go try it for  yourself, now, and you'll see the reason for all the hype.  If you go early enough, before they even open for the night - based on last night it seems like you'll have a good shot of getting a table, and you'll be out of there before dark.  Is it worth all the trouble?  YES.  Go.  Now.

(They are still completely sold out.  But you can follow Krissy on Twitter for latest table opening alerts, or stand by outside the place before opening like I did...good luck!)
 
On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6.5 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (3 bite marks mains)
Probability of return visit - 100% (if I can even get in!)

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LudoBites 007 at Gram & Papa's
227 East 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Ph: 213.624.7272
 
Parking: Free on most streets after 6pm; $3 flat rate after 4pm in lot on Santee between 8th and 9th

Website: ludolefebvre.com/ludobites/0-0-7
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