Vampires / Colds Beware: Garlic Fair at Chaya Venice

Venice is a neighborhood that prides itself on creativity.  So to keep things fresh, longstanding neighborhood staple Chaya features rotating menus focused on a key ingredient, for an entire month. There was the Venison fair. And now, this August: garlic, which surprisingly is their most popular theme ingredient.

To kick off the evening, there were the garlic cocktails: Bacon Clove Jim Beam, bacon renderings, maple simpler syrup, muddled maple-marinated garlic clove, which was a bit too strong for me, and the Devilish Mary, a fun, light and surprisingly refreshing take on the bloody mary with Casamigos Blanco tequila, orange and lime marinated garlic, Chaya Bloody Mary mix, blood orange juice, and lime juice.  Love the pickled clove and veggies for garnish as well.

Then came the Bagna Cauda, a 'hot bath' of whole garlic cloves in olive oil, cooked to such a lovely tenderness that it spreads easily on the grilled bread.

A creature made to pair with garlic, escargot had to be our next course.  The double-down earthy dish was deliciously bold flavored and the snail was perfectly cooked for a robust, chewy consistency that is still juicy and soft.

The Spicy Garlic Seafood "Tan Tan" Soup with garlic and miso-based broth, black noodle, calamari, shrimp, mussel and manila clam brought to mind a cioppino, but fused with asian flavors for an umami that made me want more as soon as I was done chugging the broth like it came in a shot glass.

In another Asian-inspired dish, the Australia Wagyu Beef with Garlic Rice arrived in a bento box, with garlic and Korean BBQ marinade, over garlic kimchi rice.

The Crispy Branzino was not the first choice at our table of more adventurous foodies, but as we wanted to have enough variety so that we can sample more of the entrees - I went for that safe, reliable branzino.  Was so happy we did, as the fish was beautifully cooked, the meat so tender, flaky, juicy and flavorful it tasted like Cantonese style steamed fish - except with skillfully crisped skin on top that serves as nice contrast and highlights the texture of the fish below all the more.

For the grand finale, we also had the 40-Clove Grilled Rib-eye with garlic au jus, roasted garlic, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli.

If you love garlic, and steak - this one's for you.

All in all, everything on the menu we tried was tasty, and though you might not want to book a first date here unless you have some killer breath spray in your bag (and in fact the manager did joke at the start of the meal that they did prep some mouthwash in the restrooms!) - it's a great spot for friends or that 50th date with the person who is willing to demonstrate that they are really in it for the long haul, by sharing 40+ cloves of garlic with you.

Love that this meal is good for you too (in foodie terms anyway!):  garlic is supposed to have antioxidant, antifiungal, antimicrobial etc. properties that are good for your immune system as well.

After dinner, a bit of mint tea is definitely in order.  Chaya also offers dessert in the form of a frozen cocktail popsicle (Spiked Frutas Popsicle) made with garlic and jalapeno infused Casamigos Reposado tequila, cucumber, watermelon, cantaloupe, fresh squeezed lime juice with Tajin seasoning. As a fan of a bit of heat in my drink, this kicked it up a notch in popsicle form so you get the 'fire and ice' on multiple levels.  Creative way to cap a fun night out.

The Garlic Fair just runs til the end of this month - catch it if you can.

*Disclaimer: This meal was hosted.

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Chaya Venice

110 Navy St Venice, CA 90291

Ph: 310.396.1179

Garlic Fair drinks and exclusive dishes offered through August 31st, dinner only.

Parking: validated parking in attached structure

Website: thechaya.com/venice/ 

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Superba Snack Bar: Brunching Beyond Abbott Kinney, Venice

Venice, CA can seem like a tale of three cities to a non-resident: the grungy, need-a-shower-desperately-after, only-ondemand-by-outoftown-visitors side pretty much all along the boardwalk; the post-college, now-in-possession-of-disposable-income-yet-still-very-indie-spirited-locavore side on boutique-filled artsy Abbott Kinney; the semi-suburban-but-heck-no-we-are-not-cookiecutter-Santa-Monica side pretty much the remainder of Venice.

Superba to me fits in somewhere between that second and third city. One of my dear friends subliminalrabbit recently moved to an apt a few blocks from there.

A few weekends ago we decided to get together for brunch, along with subliminalrabbit's hubby and Ms Sassy - and when I posed the all important question of where to eat, to the general Twitter population - Superba came recommended by almost every person who answered.

The only problem with Superba was, they don't take reservations for brunch (because chef Jason Neroni's inspired take on casual Californian has justifiably driven reliably large crowds every weekend) - my friend is in her 3rd trimester, and we didn't want her to be on her feet waiting around the notoriously packed brunch seekers here for a table.

That's when Wagstaff, Superba's PR agency, came to the rescue - they had seen my tweet and very kindly reached out to help set up a reservation (thank you Wagstaff)!

The open, airy casual chic space immediately set us at ease - and because it was the morning of St. Patrick's Day, the place was actually uncharacteristically laid back - only a few tables were occupied when we arrived.

I started with a Hibiscus Iced Tea which was delicious served with simple syrup on the side!!! (Yes, I am a bit obsessed with this:  there are two types of iced tea servers in the world: those who know who to serve it properly (with simple syrup) and those who are too lazy to boil water with sugar (serving as they have for decades, sugar packets which for the ^&*^%th time, does not melt into COLD tea no matter how much you stir - YES this is a pet peeve...).  So count me impressed with Superba's iced tea service, from the start.

Ms Sassy went for the eggs benedict, poached eggs, broccoli leaves, buttermilk biscuits, smoked ham, herb hollandaise ($15) - beautifully plated with the ham and the sauce very much more refined, lighter than many other restaurants that serve this brunch staple - which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Subliminalrabbit, happy that Superba has vegetarian friendly options, went for the salad of black kale, jalapeno pickled raisins, pine nuts, pecorino & crouton  ($12) - a skillful balance of textures, colors and flavors.

We all wanted to try to the Short Rib Hash topped with fried eggs so I got that as a 2nd entrée...not realizing that Mr. Subliminalrabbit had already ordered the same.  In any case, the tender, juicy, flavor packed short ribs were perfectly tempered by the fried eggs, especially its liquid gold centers!

So what was my 1st entrée then? Something unexpected for brunch (also available on lunch and dinner menus): wakame spaghettini, uni, Dungeness crab, miso butter & pickled jalapenos  ($18) - delicious waves of briny umami enfolded seaweed infused pasta that you can taste is fresh made (once you go fresh made pasta it's unimaginable to have it any other way), with the sour-heat of the pickled jalapenos coming through as a pleasant surprise.  I loved that there were hefty chunks of fresh crab in there as well - brunch of champions.



All in all, a fantastic brunch and we will definitely be planning a trip back soon!


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Superba Snack Bar
533 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291
Ph: 310.399.6400

Website: superbasnackbar.com

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dineLA Summer 2012: Truffle Heaven at Piccolo Venice

Another favorite from this year's Summer edition of dineLA for me was Piccolo Venice.  The place is a bit of a hidden gem - so glad I dineLA drew me to this discovery! The offer was generous with 5-courses (versus the standard 3) at no extra cost, for the $45 prix fixe menu and TWO of those courses involved choices with the magic-Pavlovian word: "truffles".

If you are kind enough to follow me on Instagram, you saw lots of pictures of this meal tagged with #foodgasm.  Even the complimentary bread basket featured foccacia studded with truffle.  I got food-drunk with happiness with every fragrant bite.

(One quick note though on location: Piccolo sits on a lesser-trafficked street (Dudley) directly off the Venice boardwalk: a little hard to spot driving through the alley even with the GPS, and despite parking being in general quite difficult in Venice, the restaurant did not have valet. I parked a few blocks down at a flat rate lot on Speedway, and passed the usual 'Venice' crowd along the way - kind of not the best spot for date night or single ladies to get to at night.  Once I got there it was a lovely, bright, airy white-linened place, with a cozy fireplace on one side, that could just as easily have been in Santa Monica or Beverly/Third)

But the food and hospitality, they were quite impressive.  Course 1: Capesante seared sea scallops, parmesan truffle fondue ($17 on regular menu) - a beautifully seared scallop topped with shaved truffle, and that was not enough, they also had truffle in this parmesan cheese sauce on the side.  Gorgeous presentation as well!

Course 2: Neri squid ink spaghettini, lobster emulsion, sunchokes ragu, roasted garlic oil, thyme (next closest pasta dish on regular menu served with mantis shrimp vs lobster, $26) - loved the perfectly al dente squid ink spaghettini.  Generous pieces of lobster added pops of red/pink that provided beautiful contrast against the stark pasta. I found the lobster pieces a bit overcooked, unfortunately, and wanting a bit more flavor.

Course 3: Plin fontina filled handcrafted ravioli, parmesan truffle butter sauce, fresh truffle shavings (next closest dish on regular menu is beet filled ravioli, $23) - LOVED every bite of this.  It had me at 'truffle', but the ravioli more than held its own as well - you can taste that the ravioli is fresh made, and were served at just the right density and temperature. 

Course 4: Much as I am obsessed with love truffle, the course that was most mindblowing of this dineLA meal was the Germano Reale breast of mallard (wild duck) pan-seared, truffle-honey sauce ($34 on regular menu) - the duck was incredibly tender, juicy and flavorful in the all-tastebuds-awake way that I can only compare to your first taste of grass-fed beef, and the realization that it is not-even-in-the-same-league more delicious than the common grain-fed beef. Loved that it wasn't served with the usual mashed potato either - but paired with a gorgeously purple whipped ube.  Then to kick this dish up to absolute transcendence, a translucent golden halo of truffle honey. Fragrant, earthy yet light and ever so slightly sweet - a perfect element to counterbalance the rich hefty slices of duck.

Course 5: Tortino ricotta and mascarpone torte, saffron coulis (not on regular menu, but desserts standard price $9) - where most other dineLA venues were half-heartedly phoning in some kind of chocolate dessert, Piccolo actually had six pretty exciting sounding ones to choose from.  My friendly server suggested the Tortino as the more unusual of the bunch.  I do love mascarpone, and saffron, so that sounded good to me.  This turned out to be a lite, perfect portioned cake topped with rose-colored flower petals, and saffron sauce.  The flavors were very subtle, and after four filling courses it was nice to have that light sweet finish. 

If that were 'all' for the dineLA meal I already would have loved it as possibly one of the best deals if not the best deal on the list (could have been a savings of up to $65, with the disclaimer that I"m not sure of any differences in portion size of dineLA vs. regular menu as it was my first time checking out the place.  Also of course a few of the items are not on the regular menu in its exact form so hard to draw exact comparisan).  But Piccolo is big on hospitality, and to top off my meal, came a free glass of prosecco!

All in all, a lovely dineLA experience.  Next time I'm down in Venice I would definitely hit up Piccolo for dinner!

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks regular menu)
Probability of return visit - 90% 

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Piccolo Venice  
5 Dudley Avenue, Venice, CA 90291
Ph: 310.314.3222

Parking: Flat fee lot a few blocks down on Speedway $10 (street parking very hard to come by in this area)
Website: piccolovenice.com
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dineLA: Summer Lovin' at Sunny Spot

One of the stops I knew I needed to make in this inaugural Summer edition of dineLA (where hundreds of restaurants citywide offer 3-course prix fixe deals - July 16-27 this time) was chef Roy Choi's Sunny Spot.

The rebel, rule-breaking chef who melded street flavors into genius korean-mexican cuisine, and trailblazed the whole gourmet food truck craze, had in his latest creation sort of come out of left field.  The concept of Sunny Spot as most people initially understood it, is Caribbean flavors in a "roadside cookshop" style venue.  As a huge marketing geek, I was at first a little put off by the garish pink and red branding of the place - thinking it would be a gimmicky monstrosity with over-the-top flavors and presentation. 

But I did like the food from his other restaurants/trucks: A-Frame, Chego and Kogi - and I figured dineLA was the time to check Sunny Spot out (the $35 3-course prix fixe deal meant lower investment and unlike many other restaurants in the program, their menu actually looked exciting!).

I hadn't decided what day I would go, and figured I could sidle up to the bar if I went on my own after work one day.  Apparently the main dining room is a first come first served open seating area - so I got a table pretty easily early evening one weeknight.  The decor was actually more elegant than I expected - bright colors, yes, but pretty tastefully done, clean lines, in a cheery, airy space bathed in natural light pouring through the floor to ceiling windows via the open back patio.

I started with a Ting grapefruit soda, a refreshing accompaniment to What a Jerk Wings ($12 on regular menu) - double coated, double fried.  Three giant wings that could have been a meal in themselves. Crispy with bold, in your face flavor like Roy Choi does it best.  Underneath in case you didn't get enough flavor? Sinus-clearing aioli made with three kinds of chilis tempered by orange juice.  This was definitely not date food - I dug in both hands and elbows and killed several trees' worth of napkins before leaving nothing but bones and sauce on the plate (I can't really handle that much spice...).

To cool the heat of jerk wings, came a side that was also pretty huge - could have been a starter on its own: Sesame Coleslaw.  This was a nice accompaniment to the jerk wings, and I appreciated the generous portion size, but as I'm not a big salad/veggie eater (sorry chef!) I couldn't finish this.   Oh and apparently they make their own ginger beer in house too, so I got that, downed it.  Lovely and refreshing.

Then came my favorite dish of this entire dineLA summer session: Pan Roasted Skate (not on regular menu, next closest item is Whole Roasted Fish Red Snapper $35) coconut carrot puree, watercress, gremolata.  I LOVE skate and had been excited to see it on the dineLA menu, a beacon of light in the drudgery of "beef or chicken" menus.  AND I had to have it after my fabulous server Shannon confirmed that this is not offered on the regular menu.   This was a plate so beautiful it could reduce *ahem* "a" grown woman to tears (ok, "this" grown woman to tears).  Perfectly roasted so that it's intoxicatingly flavorful outside, and super tender and juicy inside, and its gorgeous 'panelled' texture featured to full dramatic effect.  Coconut gave it island flavors, tempered by carrot puree to balance it with savory deliciousness. Love the accompaniments too of watercress cooked to a spinach-like consistency and gremolata (condiment made from lemon zest, garlic, parsley) for layers of flavor.

The skate was also generously portioned and came with a cup of Black Bean Soup - made with coconut cream, black bean and apparently Red Stripe?! I liked the flavors, but it was a little too thick for me after the preceding hefty courses. The thing that I did love and wanted to note was the presentation - in this gold-gilded, elegant tea cup and saucer set.  Love it.  Touch of luxe in dishware made it felt like I was at some country club in the Caribbeans - without the stuffiness, as the dining room is fun with pops of color that feels very unpretentious.  And I love any place or anything that makes me feel like I'm on vacation, while right in town.

And for the sweet finish: Coconut Sundae (next closest dessert on regular menu is Hot Fudge Sundae $7) - toastd coconut ice cream, raspberry jam, and shortbread crumble

Sounded simple, but turned out to be one of the best desserts I've had this dineLA - textures and flavors just worked perfectly together so that you get the creaminess, rich chocolateyness, fruity goodness from the jam acounterbalanced by the crunch of shortbread crumble.  Plus I think it was a liquer-soaked cherry? on top.  Amazing.

Last but not least, I wanted to acknowledge excellent service by Shannon.  UNLIKE the front hostess, who was sort of cold and I suspect most recently worked at some Hollywood hotspot and thought to apply the same level of 'hospitality' - Shannon was warm, friendly - seemed like a genuinely nice person who was, yes, a ray of sunshine on any given day - and definitely throughout my meal.  I didn't feel at all like a second class citizen just because I was there for dineLA, and she struck just the right level of attentiveness, making sure I had extra napkins for the wing-destruction, and checked in to make sure I was enjoying each course - and because I was by myself she came by to chat as much as I wanted but didn't overstay.
All in all, a shining example of dineLA dine right, and could be my second favorite after Craft.

I would definitely come back to Sunny Spot again even at regular price/- I didn't choose the Jamaican Oxtail Stew this time, though it sounded delicious, because it's offered on the regular brunch menu - so I'll definitely have to go back to try that.  And see how the Hot Fudge Sundae stacks up to the Coconut one.

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 5.5 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (3 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100% 

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Sunny Spot  
822 Washington Blvd, Venice, CA 90292
Ph: 310.448.8884

Parking: Valet $5 is probably easiest in this area
Website: sunnyspotvenice.com
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CHAYA Venice: Oyster Food Fair

Did you know that the Japanese family who owns Chaya have been restauranteurs for nearly four centuries?  They started with a 'tea house' (apparently that's what Chaya 茶屋 means in Japanese) in Japan under a large shade tree, catering to weary travelers and their horses 390 years ago.  Today, we can experience a version of that hospitality in Venice, CA in a modern setting of a neighborhood hangout that gives off the vibe that it's there to serve the community.  Of traffic-worn commuters like myself and their metal stallions.  And apparently Venice loves Chaya back - the two times I've been there, it's always been packed.

With Chef Shigefumi Tachibe at the helm for the last 22 years, and his blend of "Euro-Asian" or "Franco-Japonais" fare bringing people back week after week to an area that doesn't have many fine dining stakes in the sand - Chaya Venice admirably does not rest on success, but continually tries to put forth new menus.

There is the unusual dual menu that customers have come to expect - sushi and European dishes with Japanese influence, but there's also special menus created around a theme, a main ingredient - rotating each year.

A few months back it was the Venison Fair.  This month brings the Oyster Food Fair - and I was excited to receive an invite to a media tasting kicking off the event on February 16 (the Food Fair runs through March 3rd!)

The idea is there are many dishes created around the featured ingredient - oysters, and you can choose a la carte from the special menu.

We started with a round of Fresh Oyster on the 1/2 Shell ($14 for half dozen) - for the tasting we got both kinds of oysters: Hama Hama from Washington (the bigger ones shown on left in the photo) and Fanny Bay from British Columbia.  These were not the best oysters I've ever had (Monterey fisherman's wharf restaurants win on that one) but they went fast - there was nothing but empty shells left 60 seconds after they hit the table.

Baked Oysters Rockefeller ($19) spinach, bacon, cream, parmesan This one is a classic, well executed.  Even for someone who is really a purist with their oysters, I thought this was nicely done - I've seen so many places overdo it on the cheese so it ends up overwhelming the oyster, and/or overcooking the spinach so that it's a sloppy mess atop the oyster - but Chaya's is just right in terms of balancing all ingredients.

Baked Oysters w/ Nori Lemon Butter ($18) tamari, soy, chives.  I had to look up tamari - it's basically a soy sauce made with more soybeans than regular ones, so that it has a more complex, smooth and balanced flavor.  This was added with a deft hand as it was in perfect balance with the nori (seaweed) lemon butter - again as a purist with oysters, I normally prefer to taste nothing but pure deep ocean around the oyster, but this broth-like sauce was light and clean tasting and very enjoyable.  I did like this one more than the Rockefellers.

Angus Beef Tartare with Fried Oysters ($16) sweet potato chips.  When this dish came out, if you listened to the sounds around the table - you would just hear alternating sounds like this: "crunch", "mmm", "crunch".  The creamy, lush (and pink?) beef tartare paired and contrasted perfectly with crunchy panko-crusted deep fried oysters - and the fresh fried chips made with a Japanese sweet potato were 'favorited' by all around the table.  My only note would be to apply a slightly thinner panko crust so that the ratio of crust to oyster (as the highlighted ingredient) would be in the oyster's favor to allow a more pronounced flavor.

Oyster Citrus Cured Salmon Chowder ($20) Tokyo winter negi, yukon potato.  This one was another favorite for the night - the salmon is cooked sous vide with citrus, and has the lushest, smoothest texture and intense flavor, infused throughout the chowder.  There is also of course oysters in the soup along with a Japanese leek and chunks of potato for added texture and flavor.  Really gorgeous soup.  The portion size shown in the photo was just for the tasting, knowing we would be feasting on almost the entire menu - but the regular dinner size would be much bigger for the $20. How much bigger?  We didn't get to see so judge for yourself if you would spend $20 on soup as your entree.

Kobe Short Rib Pot Pie ($29) baked oyster zucchini champagne cream, caramelized sweet onion sauce.  Loved the description on this one, and it was a cute presentation with a bloated pastry puff topped by an oyster baked with zucchini champagne cream and cheese.  The contents of the pot pie were infused with rich flavor (interesting that the chef used a 'white' sparkling wine versus the expected red wine) with fairly generous large chunks of meat - though it was just a tad chewier than I expected for Kobe.  But overall very nicely done pot pie, and I loved the buttery flakey pastry puff.

Striped Sea Bass & Oyster Papillote ($29) celery root, shitake mushroom, tomato, black truffle vin blanc.  If there were Oscars for food, this dish would probably win for Best Drama - it arrived in a square, puffed up paper bag with rolled edges, and we all found ourselves waiting for the big reveal to see what's inside.  Our server tore into the bag to expose a delicately cooked filet of loup de mer, steamed inside the bag with a slice of lemon, celery, shitake mushroom, and tomato - and of course the pleasant 'surprise', creamy oysters.  The whole thing was then dressed with a black truffle white wine sauce that infused it with fragrant and unmistakeable truffle flavor. 

After the great meal (not sure if it was the aphrodisiac effects of oysters, but felt huge love for oysters!) we were treated to oyster-free desserts from the regular menu.  Chaya's signature dessert is their Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Caramel Ice Cream ($9) which was delicious with its buttery, light, layered pastry a departure from the normally dense, heavy bread puddings at other restaurants. 

We also had Lemon Curd Cake ($9) - a light and refreshing finish with a cheesecake-like round topped by a cookie half shell filled with blueberries, and light, subtly tart lemon curd in between.

Oyster lovers can check out Oyster Food Fair at CHAYA Venice through March 3rd.

* Disclaimer: This meal was hosted
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CHAYA Venice
110 Navy St., Venice, CA 90291
Ph: 310-396-1179

Parking: Self-park in structure $4 with validation

Website: thechaya.com/venice
OpenTable: opentable.com/chaya-venice

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Lemonade - FRESH in Every Way

"I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis"
                                                    - 'The Most Interesting Man in the World'

That is how I feel about Lemonade, when it comes to salads. 

To me, salads have always been a necessary evil. They are something I *need* to eat versus something I want to eat. It's rare that I ever find a salad that excites me (foie gras with haricots verts and truffle vinaigrette at Petrossian under Ben Bailly's watch being a notable exception).  That all changed when a fellow juror introduced me to Lemonade (MOCA location downtown) a few months back. 

The name of the place is both appropriate and deceptive at the same time - you expect simplicity, clean flavors, basic ingredients, with that name - and Lemonade does deliver on these, but also offers so much more, without pretention in its casual space: fresh, creative takes on salads, mixing and matching global flavors, in an original marketplace concept that lets you choose any gourmet offering you want for one price.  You pay by 'portions' - 1 portion = 2 scoops of salad for $4 (two scoops $7.75, three $11) no matter which you choose. 

After a particularly grueling session of power yoga today, I decided to push myself on the healthy theme and pay a visit to Lemonade on Beverly in West Hollywood.  The sun had finally re-emerged after a long week of rain and 'freezing' (by LA standards) cold - and it was the first day where I didn't feel like my food had to bear the burden of raising my body temperature in addition to being tasty, giving me energy to get through my day etc.  I was ready for fresh fare, in the adorable, cozy little storefront / sun-bathed patio at Lemonade. (It's also casual dining, paper plates and all - so I didn't have to worry about being in my sweaty yoga gear.)

From the start of the cafeteria-style line, I nearly got whiplash looking over all the options behind the counter. There is a mix of classics reinterpreted, to unexpected combinations of ingredients, some of which I've never seen or heard of.

Besides their creativity, willingness to experiment, and fairly big regular and seasonal menu, the other awesome thing about Lemonade is that you can split 'portions', so that you can try a wider variety of their offerings (i.e. get different salads in each of your two scoops).  And their super friendly service is another big draw - they totally let you sample any of their dishes before making a 'commitment' - which was a good thing as there were a few that looked and sounded great, but I didn't end up liking - including a roasted heirloom carrot salad.

Anyways, I went for two portions, split, so that I can try four different salads for just $8:

1. Watermelon radish, ahi tuna, snap peas, black  sesame and ginger - This was the first time I'd ever seen watermelon radish, and I thought it was gorgeous! Loved the sesame flavors with the pickled radish - however, I thought the textures of all the ingredients were too similarly 'rough' (even the tuna, which was seared, but with the small bite-sized chunks the 'crust' was a bit too much) so that as a whole the salad did not have the best mouthfeel.

2. Israeli couscous, wild mushrooms, parmesan, lemon truffle - regular readers know about my truffle addiction, so it's no surprise that this was my favorite of the four! The lovely, al-dente couscous were perfectly balanced with the earthy, chewy, juicy mushrooms and the citrus blended with truffle flavors perfectly for an instantly addictive mix.  I could have scarfed down 3 full portions of this one!

3. Winter squash with white truffle, lemon vinaigrette and chives - I was drawn to this one as well because of the mention of truffle, and went for it without sampling.  Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to taste the truffle, though the winter squash with lemon vinaigrette and chives was a refreshing enough mix on its own.  In comparisan with the others, this one was just ok.

4. Orrechietta, tomato, perlini mozzarella, red pepper vinaigrette - my second favorite of the meal! This was lemonade's reinterpretation of the classic caprese, with pasta and a delicious red pepper vinaigrette tossed into the mix.  I loved the incredible, soft, fresh mozzarella, juicy, perfectly sized tomatoes, and how the orrechietta scooped up the vinaigrette and helped pack each bite with flavor.

On a previous visit, I had tried the lobster, soba noodle, lebanese cucumber, sesame and loved it - but wanted to give other items a try this time since they have such a vast menu.  Would definitely recommend the lobster salad though to anyone trying Lemonade for the first time. 

That ($8) plate alone would have made a satisfying meal - and I did end up taking leftovers to go.  But my friendly server tempted me with a sample of the soup of the day - mushroom ($4) - that I then absolutely had to have!  The soup was perfect - not too rich and creamy, and served with a piece of grilled rustic grain bread that could give LaBrea Bakery a run for its money. 

Barely able to fit all my plates on the tray, my last stop was at the cashier, which also served as the dessert / beverage station.  No meal at Lemonade would be complete without tasting of, of course, their namesake drinks!  Various fresh lemonades are on offer with some creative combinations from pomegranate tarragon to asia pear basil to blueberry mint. I opted for the Sugar Free Apple Jalapeno ($2.70) - sweet and tart with a kick!

I was way too full for dessert, but they have cases stocked with baked cookies, macaroons, cakes, cupcakes and custards and of course lemon meringue pie as well.

There were many other items that I need to come back and try - including toasted-to-order 'semi-traditional' and pot roast sandwiches, and hot foods at the 'braises' station from moroccan chicken to red miso beef short rib simmering in colorful pots.

All in all, though the selection of salads were hit or miss, I always enjoy seeing what the chefs have come up with, and the experience at Lemonade overall. And the salads that I loved were truly amazing.
So, in sum - I don't always eat salads - but when I do, I prefer Lemonade.  Thanks for making eating veggies / healthy an exciting / fun experience!

(P.S. - In addition to WeHo, Lemonade also has locations in Venice (Abbot Kinney), Downtown, at MOCA, and at USC.  Check website for details.)


On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $ (1 bite mark)
Probability of return visit - 100% 
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Lemonade
9001 Beverly Boulevard (at Almont), West Hollywood, CA 90048
Ph: 310. 247. 2500   

Website: lemonadela.com
Twitter: twitter.com/lemonadela
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