Cuisine Francais - a la "Old School'

I have an affection for 'old school' style restaurants and I remember having, maybe not great meals but great dining experiences at places like the "21" Club and the Rainbow Room. Los Angeles is all about the new new thing when it comes to food and there are very few traditional 'old school' restaurants left. So voila, New York.



This is the second time this week that I've read about this very traditional Manhattan restaurant Le Veau d'Or. Thanks to The Trad I found this video of Anthony Bourdain enjoying an old fashioned french meal. The Epic liked it so much that he dined there several times on his holiday vacation.

Definitely it will be on the top of my list for my next trip to New York.

Do you have an 'old school' favorite?

Around Town - The Best Of LA?

I thought that I would check into the Modern Luxury blog Julib.com to see what was posted on its Best of LA list which they might want to re title the Best of PR.

Part One

Part Two

XIV

Restaurant by chef Michael Mina with design by Philippe Starck

Too much going on...not only in the design but in the menu.

Here's the desert menu

SUGAR, CHOCOLATE & FRUIT
WHITE CHOCOLATE CUBE, CASSIS CREAM, HIBISCUS, BLOOD ORANGE, BEET
LEMONGRASS CUSTARD, COLA, BUTTERMILK, SWEET POTATO-YUZU MOCHI
BITTER CHOCOLATE CREAM, MOZZARELLA ICE MILK, ELDERFLOWER, VIOLET
HAZELNUT MILK, FROSTED FLAKES, WHISKEY BARREL ICE CREAM
PASSION FRUIT CURD, TOMATO, JASMINE, CASHEW, BROWN BUTTER

I find these dishes to be completely unappetizing.

(You can check out their website if you wish to be inundated with obnoxious French music)

So obviously, I'm just a troglodyte when it comes to food.

As with all things in life, I prefer the straightforward rather than the pretentious.

So what I would add to my personal list of the Best of LA?

Anisette Brasserie with the traditional decor and menu.

Anisette Brasserie

Bon, à la table!

Around Town - Crustacean Restaurant

A couple of weeks ago I had dinner with Elizbeth An, the adorable owner of Crustacean Restaurant, in Beverly Hills. No only is she a talented restaurateur she is an incredible interior designer and created an interior that evokes the French Colonial look of pre-war Hanoi. The food is great....and the menu not only includes special dishes prepared from recipes handed down through generations in the An family, each item is listed with a recommended wine.

If you happened to be in the hood and stopped by one day after work, you might find Elizabeth and me at the bar noshing on asian tapas and sashimi and sipping Chardonnay.

Crustacean - 9646 Little Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills.