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... sealed with wax.

I am going in tonight as a friend purchased a gift certificate for my fiance and me.It is supposed to be for 2 four course menu's with wine pairing.Has anyone eaten this menu lately and had favorites?Thanks

Awesome, I like to frame these menu's for my kitchen.

Bourbon - Let me know what you think after you go, we really haven't thought about what menu we were going for yet.

Let me ask another question.......

I will be dining with four people. When you order, must the entire table order the same thing, meaning all four must get the tasting menu or can it be broken up? I know this is in this thread, I don't have the heart to go through each page.

Lots of good new items on the menu. Although L.2O is a seafood restaurant, their meat items are very tasty.

I asked this question on a couple of occasions in the main dining room, and both have responded that you do not need to all have the same menu type (à la carte, prix fixe, tasting, etc). But just in case, you should inquire directly to the restaurant.

Special Events - Sake Wine Dinner

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of dining at one of L.2O's special events, in where the focus was on wines. These special events, which began in late November with the Louis Roederer champagne dinner, have brought in an intimate group of guests (10 or so) to enjoy and discuss wines. Once a theme (Bordeaux, Alsace, Côtes de Provence, etc.) is decided upon, the restaurant would bring in a selection of those wines, as well provide a multi-course dinner that would complement them. On some events, such as the January white Burgundy dinner, guests would bring in a bottle (or two) of the theme wines, while Chef prepares complimentary dishes.


Eric Swanson talks about sake. Louisa Chu ready to enjoy the flavors.

The third event, a sake dinner, was hosted by one of L.2O's sommelier, Chantelle Pabros. Sake specialist, Eric Swanson, guided us through the 6 sakes that we had that evening (4 from Akita, and 1 each from Shimane and Niigata). All were served cold, and ranged in flavors and aromas (and packaging). One selection, which Mr. Swanson had brought from his own cache, was aged (koshu). As a specialist, Mr. Swanson, talked greatly about each of the sakes, and was able to answer all of our questions throughout the evening. A slide show was also provided, albeit from a passed-around iPhone.


Sakes on the gueridon.

- Suzuki Shuzouten, Amakarapin, Junmai, Akita
- Dewatsuru Shuzo, Habataki, Junmai Ginjo, Akita
- Tenju Shuzo, Chokaisan, Junmai Daiginio, Akita
- Naba Shoten, Minato, Harbor, Tsuchizaki, Yamahai, Nama Genshu, Futsu, Akita
- Ishibashi Shuzo, Yashiorinosake, Junmai Koshu, Shimane
- Ichishima Shuzo, Silk Deluxe, Junmai, Niigata

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Sake 1


Suzuki Shuzouten, Amakarapin, Junmai, Akita

Amakarapin, from the Suzuki Shuzouten brewery, in the Akita prefecture, was a nice start to the first three courses. Both the dishes and sake were light in flavor (with the exception of the oyster and uni dish), allowing for a nice base for some of the more robust flavors to come. This junmai sake had a sharp aroma, and is something that I would probably have around that house that would go well with just about every other dish.


Octopus, Hearts of Palm (amuse)


Oyster, Uni Kombu Water (course 1)


Sashimi: Fluke, Kinmedai, Shimaaji, Kampachi (course 2)

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Sake 2


Dewatsuru Shuzo, Habataki, Junmai Ginjo, Akita

Another dry sake that, compared to the previous, is more aromatic and just a little richer (ever so slight). This sake adds a little bit of dimension to the spring like flavors of the salad course.


Cantaloupe, Greens, Pickled Honshimeji (course 3)


Cantaloupe, Greens, Pickled Honshimeji (course 3)

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Sake 3


Tenju Shuzo, Chokaisan, Junmai Daiginio, Akita

The not so dry Chokaisan, started to bring out more of the fruitier notes. This award wining junmai daiginjo, worked well with the rich and creamy lobster dish. The combination of sauce, product, and preparation, were executed to create what, IMHO, was my favorite seafood dish for the evening. This was also my favorite of the non-aged sakes.


Lobster, Passionfruit, Thai Chili (course 4)


Lobster, Passionfruit, Thai Chili (course 4)

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Sake 4


Naba Shoten, Minato, Harbor, Tsuchizaki, Yamahai, Nama Genshu, Futsu, Akita

This futsu, seemed a little less refined than the previous presentations. The sake, which comes in a can, was not light or smooth. It was a little punchy and rough. I did not enjoy this sake by itself, especially after having the previous, but the combination of the smoked fish and mushrooms worked surprisingly well together -- both very expressive.


Smoked Komburi, Black Trumpet (course 5)


Smoked Komburi, Black Trumpet (course 5)

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Sake 5


Ishibashi Shuzo, Yashiorinosake, Junmai Koshu, Shimane

We were treated with a sampling of aged sake from the Shimane prefecture. The yashiorinosake was a heavier, medium-bodied, slightly off-dry sake, that paired well with the beef (but would have much rather had it as a standalone item). Surprisingly, I was picking up notes of honey and chocolate in the sake, which I thought would have been a better combination for a chocolate dessert.

L.2O is known for its amazing seafood products, most of which I have never heard of, and I am sure hard to come by. I have pretty much enjoyed most of what comes my way, but the thing that stands out is the Japanese beef. The photograph (and the actual item) looked kinda of sad, and I thought I was going to be having a sub-par product, but man was I wrong, the thing just melts in the mouth. Once cut, the beef shows off its fatty stripes, just like a piece of salmon sashimi. Another element of the dish, that just about made it overkill, was the white powder in the top left corner. It is the fat from the beef, that has been dried and powdered. Taste wise it profiled a very subtle richness that was not overwhelming, but conceptually it was pretty creative.


Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, Sake, Potato (course 6)


Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, Sake, Potato (course 6)


Meyer Lemon Mousse (pre-dessert)

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Sake 6


Ichishima Shuzo, Silk Deluxe, Junmai, Niigata
This junmai had a smooth mouth feel and finish. This is another one of those enjoy anytime beverages. The addition of the yuzu ice/foam (created in house) already in the cup, made it even better. The sake provided a nice bridge between the lemon mousse, and the fruit consommé.


Silk Deluxe and Yuzu Ice


Exotic Fruit Consommé (dessert)


Chocolate Orange Effervescence (mignardise 1)


Canelé (mignardise 2)

I really enjoyed the special event's wine dinner that the restaurant has set up. It breaks the monotony of going in only when the foods change. Most of the guest seem to have received the event pretty well. In fact most the guests there that evening have already attended previous wine dinners. The cost of the sake dinner is slightly less than the tatami room, at $195. I am not sure if the price will vary dependent on the offerings, but I thought this was a pretty fair deal.

L.2O has a lot of programs and menus to offer. I think too much. They have 5 room types; main, lounge, tatami (possible 1-3 rooms), semi-private, and private (possible 1-2 rooms). They also offer 7 food and beverage menu types; lounge, à la carte, prix fixe, 2 tastings, tatami, private parties, and special events. Sounds like a lot, but they still manage to keep the food and service to their standard. So far, I have not had a bad experience at the restaurant. For me, I like the Alinea model, offering 2 menus and a choice of paired wines or not. It's way less complicated, and for most people, they already know what they are having before they even make the the reservation. Although a much more complicated process, I know that L.2O will be able to keep the bar high, because the front line staff (FOH and kitchen) are top notch and motivated, and the managers (LEYE) are experienced and knowledgeable. These guys are going to do well.

Does one need to be specially invited to these events or can one call the restaurant and ask to be placed on a mailing list. From what I hear L.20 does special events exceptionally well, while when I ordered off the menu, the dinner was only OK.

yellow truffle - nice report and visuals, as usual.

So, I read about the canelé production on the blog. How were they? A good canelé is peerless. Sadly, it's also highly uncommon.

I've been receiving their special event emails since making a reservation there through OpenTable and apparently checking the box with regards to receiving such emails from the restaurant. Their next one is 2 weeks from today:


On Wednesday, February 25, it brings us great pleasure to taste alongside celebrated wine maker, Dr. Dirk Richter, of the Max Ferdinand Richter Estate. This family-run estate has been producing some of the best Rieslings in the Mosel for over 300 years. Chef Laurent Gras has created a five-course menu to highlight the vivacious fruit and slated minerality that has made the estate famous. Sit with Dr. Richter as he shares stories of his family, the history of the estate, his philosophies of winemaking and the future of Riesling.

Diver Scallop, Meyer Lemon, Butter
MAX FERD. RICHTER 2005 MILHEIMER SONNENLAY BRUT

Peeky Toe Crab, French Cider, Green Apple
MAX FERD. RICHTER 2007 BRAUNEBERGER JUFFER KABINETT

Foie Gras, Pear, Spices
MAX FERD. RICHTER 1995 GRAACHER DOMPROPST AUSLESE

Kampachi, Grilled, Truffle Vinaigrette
MAX FERD. RICHTER 1990 ERDENER TREPPCHEN SPATLESE

Striped Bass, Porcini Consomme, Brussels Sprout
MAX FERD. RICHTER 1982 MULHEIMER SONNENLAY KABINETT FEINHERB

Caramelized Apple
MAX FERD. RICHTER 2004 MULHEIMER HELENENKLOSTER EISWEIN



$195 per person plus tax and gratuity. Sparkling wine reception followed by dinner begins at 6pm. Seats are extremely limited. Please contact Kiran Pinto at 773.868.0002 x 233 or L2Oparties@leye.com for more information or to secure a reservation.

We were served canelés when we visited last summer. I'm no canelé expert, but they were one of the evening's highlights. Definitely memorable (although not as earth shattering as the bacon bread, about which I'm still dreaming).

Ronna

Gorgeous pictures, yellow truffle.

I notice that the sake was served in regular wine glasses. When I order sake in a Japanese restaurant, I always ask them to replace the tiny shot glasses which are often shaped in ways that don't contour to the human mouth. When I ask for regular wine glasses, I usually feel like an ignorant, uncultured American. That's never stopped my other life behaviors, so I do it anyway. But now I'm wondering whether it's a more commonly accepted practice

Same here. I'm no expert, but the canelle I had pretty much rocked my world.

Yellow truffle, are you the guy with blonde hair in the photo?

I thought that would be ironic versus your name.

I believe the blond is Eric Swanson, the sake presenter.

From my understanding, anyone can get on the list, just call and ask kindly to be placed on it. But the problem is that these special event dinners are limited to a small group of 10 or so, which is usually set up in the tree room. They go through the list prioritizing to those that have attended previous events, call/email them up, and once they get there maximum number, then they close up the list of guests. If it becomes popular, as I believe it will, I hope they open it up to one of the larger rooms. But then again, a group of under a dozen is quite comfortable.

Ehh, okay. So maybe I was wrong. ;-P

Thanx ulterior epicure. Yeah, the canelés at L.2O are quite divine. The hard outside is formed by a beautifully caramelized crust. The soft inside is somewhere between a cake and custard in texture, and rich in flavor. This is the third try at the canelés at L.2O, and they have been very memorable (although the first attempt had the crust a little too burnt for my taste). I do much prefer these over the French macaroons (which is one their standard last item mignardise), as it is harder to come by. If ever I need macaroons, I go to Vanille. Very similar to L.2O. Both almost Hermé like.

I think another (actually two) program that L.2O should have is an early morning/all day boulangerie and patisserie. Crank out those epis, brioches, croissants, macaroons, canelés, etc., i'll be there. Maybe it can be called L.BP. What do you think of that Mr. Melman.

Thanx Kennyz. Not sure, but I think for the case of L.2O, they use stem ware because of in-house availability. I would not be surprised if they would use non-stemware containers for some of their beverages some time in the near future.

No, but at one time I did have blonde hair.

Bingo.

I don't know about Vanille's macarons, as I've never tried any of theirs. But, based on the pistachio macaron I had at L.2O, I'd say it was pretty similar to Hermé's in the sense that it was way too sweet (for me).

I'll hope to see the canelé next time.

The Wife and I celebrated our 30th birthdays at L2O last night and we had a fantastic time.

In the interests of science we decided to do the 4 course menu (having already done a 12 course and having already ordered a la carte in the lounge). I have to say, this was the best of the 3 dinners we had. Our 4 course meal also includes 2 amuses, 1 pre-dessert, and 2 post-dessert treats so we certainly left full and happy.

Some of the highlights of our meal were:

Tuna with tomato, hibiscus and foie gras snow - Like so many dishes at L2O, just a stunning presentation (this is one of the few restaurants where I regret that I don't normally bring a camera to meals). Tiny cubes of tuna arranged into a square, each with a smaller cube of tomato gelee on top. The larger square was bordered by small dots of olive oil emulsion, with the "snow" covering about half of the square of tuna. The richness of the tuna and the foie worked absolutely brilliantly together, with the foie imparting just the tinniest bit of saltiness to the dish.

Lamb and ebi tartare - We've had this before, but it's such a fantastic dish we had no qualms about having it again. I think there's a picture of it somewhere on this thread. It's strikingly beautiful and absolutely delicious, with the taste and texture of the lamb and ebi complimenting each other perfectly.

Shabu Shabu - Again, we've had this before, but the wife really likes it so she had it for her main course. A different twist this time around, though, was that after she had eaten all of the fish the broth was taken back to kitchen. It came back out in a different bowl with noodles and scallions added. I was able to swipe some noodles and they were delicious.

Skate wing - This was my main course. The skate had a delicious miso/soy glaze and was served in a nice pool of "Shanghai bouillon" (some mixture of pork/chicken). This was a great, hearty winter dish. The skate was actually pretty meaty and the bullion was wonderfully rich. The fish was served on top of broccoli rabe and (I think) cauliflower that added a nice crispness to the dish.

The only service hiccup we had was post-dessert. We were served raspberry/chocolate macarons even though the wife does not eat chocolate (and the restaurant knows this). However, after I said something they quickly fixed the problem by bringing out 2 new macarons (this time brown butter/salted caramel...so good and so decadent). All other aspects of service were pretty much flawless.

Josh, happy birthday to you and yours.

You can find a picture of that lamb and ebi tartare dish HERE, if not above. I enjoyed it immensely.

Whilst Frank Bruni comes to (largely) the same conclusions as I did about L2O in his recent article in the New York Times, I find his comparisons of the restaurant with le Bernardin, momofuku ko, and Jean Georges confusing and unconvincing. I'm not sure why more than just a few feel the need to analogize this restaurant to another.

I'll admit that I don't think Gras's food is unique enough for it to be completely incomparable. But, I don't think that just because Gras shaves frozen foie gras, or features a cauliflower dish makes comparison of Gras's dishes with other famous frozen foie gras and cauliflower dishes (done in completely different ways) remotely worthwhile.

Any updates from fellow LTHers?

I haven't been to L20 or read Bruni's Notebook review, but one of the things that makes him an exceptional critic is his contextualization of a restaurant within the culinary zeitgeist; he is quite referential. One thing I appreciate about Bruni is that his age and perspective makes him particularly interested in the last fifteen years or so--say, since the rise of "New American"--of dining in this country; I thought the contemporary era was skipped over in United States of Arugula and Last Days of Haute Cuisine, so it's nice to have someone who is a conscious chronicler/historian of the present day. I'll be curious to see how he evaluates L20.

Frank Bruni wrote a wonderfully evocative piece on Laurent Gras and L2O in today's New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/dining/06note.html I especially enjoyed how he tied Gras' cuisine to that of other great contemporary chefs (e.g. Eric Ripert).

I haven't eaten there yet but now I want to more than ever!

Has this place been reviewed in the Tribune?

The Trib reviewed it last July. It received 4 stars.

Vettel's review reads like a comic book next to Bruni's piece. Of course, this is the same paper that fired Alan Artner (a very insightful art critic) and retained Bill Daley (a mere wine "reporter" masquerading as a wine "critic"). Sorry for the digressive rant!

Don't worry, you're forgiven.

Another great meal at L2O last night. For the first time I thought that the cooked preparations reached the same heights as the raw. 2 examples:

1. Diver scallops with blueberries, sorrel, and an Earl Grey based sauce. The scallops were wonderfully plump and perfectly cooked. The dish was dotted by blueberries that had been sliced in half and placed flat-side down on the plate (yeah, glad that's not my job). The sorrel was on top of each scallop. The combination of the blueberries, sorrel, and sweet meaty scallops made for just a great summer dish.

2. Striped bass with smoked crispy skin, lettuce, and dijon mustard. A nice sized piece of bass, again perfectly cooked (flavorful and juicy), with several mushrooms (not sure what kind) placed cap side down on top of the fish. The perfectly crisped piece of skin was then balanced on the stems of the mushrooms (yeah, again, glad that's not my job). The dijon provided a great flavor combination with the fish and, in particular, the crispy skin.

Service was, as always, just about flawless. A chorizo/tomato roll was the highlight of last night's bread service. One year in and L2O continues to progress.

It was with enthusiasm that I accepted the invitation to join two of my foodie friends for a dinner last night at L2O. One friend had flown in from New York and joined us for a night of enjoyment at L2O. My friends and I are experienced diners, exploring terrific restaurants far and wide. Both have a keen curiosity of restaurants, which they cover in well-followed food blogs. I had been to L20 once before, about a year or so ago.

The evening turned into a disappointment for us, both due to structural problems in communication at the restaurant, and in terms of the food. Here are the details:

The room is lovely, albeit a bit corporate in feel. There’s a Zen-like feel to the room, and I found the minimalist feel pleasing. The room was only about a third full of guests when we arrived, and at its busiest, was probably 2/3 full. Our Captain was very attentive and a definite asset to our dinner. Chantelle, our sommelier, was delightful, smiling, highly competent, and fully on top of the wine service. Both enhanced our experience tremendously despite the missteps below.

My friends and I debated what to do for the menu, and, when told Chef Laurent Gras was in the kitchen, we asked if the Chef would put together a menu he thought best for that night. Our Captain said fine, and off she went. We assumed we would have some type of tasting menu that we could discuss amongst ourselves.

What followed was an insight into both structural problems in communication between the front (FOH) and back of the house (BOH) as well as striking inconsistencies in the dishes the kitchen produced. As the meal began and progressed, we saw that we were each being given a different item, which we hadn’t anticipated (when we asked for the kitchen to cook for us, I commented that I did not like to share my food and we expected we would each have the same menu). Had the dishes flowed properly, and illustrated the chef’s style and some rationale for the entire menu, we would have been happy, but what resulted was an almost haphazard cacophony of dishes, widely disparate in both make up and quality of execution, that had an almost random feel to it. The odd combination and order of dishes prompted one friend to ask if our request that the chef would put together a menu for us was communicated to him was met with the reply that “I communicated it to someone there but I’m not allowed to approach or speak to the Chef.” What? In further inquiry as to what happened, it seems the general manager and Captain were hesitant or fearful of communicating our request directly to the chef, and took it upon themselves to devise a sort of tasting menu. The problem is that the resulting flow appeared amateur at best and random at worst. When we expressed our disappointment to the General Manager (GM), Tony, he replied “the Chef doesn’t do any special menu for anybody, including famous chefs who dine here.” We told him that it was fine not to do it, but someone should have communicated this to us when we initially asked, and we would have then either ordered the standard tasting menu or devised one tasting menu, ourselves, for the table from the menu.

The quality of execution of the dishes was like a roller coaster of quality and creativity. As with my one prior visit to the restaurant a year ago, the sashimi first course was served too cold to allow the flavors to be fully appreciated. On this visit, a foie gras served inside a spiral of cotton candy that was both sweet and savory, was brilliant. Perfectly cooked and spiced foie, inside this spiral was spectacular, and was my dish of the night. Unfortunately, it was followed by a kampachi that, visually, looked sad and dry. Tasting it, it was in fact overcooked, dry and quite bland. The kampachi had some kind of accompaniment that the Captain referred to as a type of pita chip filled with some type of vegetable, but they were largely surprisingly devoid of taste and had a texture of cardboard. One friend has the arctic char that was poached in butter, which looked fabulous. “That looks incredible” I said to him, to which he replied “I’m afraid it looks a bit better than it tastes.” The salted cod with caviar was very salty and I actually did not eat my portion and mentioned to the GM that it was too salty. Disappointingly, I saw that I was charged the $25 supplement for this dish, even though I told him I did not like it. Unfortunately, I noticed this after I had paid the bill, and in light of the other problems, I decided not to make an issue of the charge in front of my friends, though it disappointed me. My final course was the smoked ribeye which was good but difficult to eat with the knife served with it. When I asked for a steak knife, I was told the knife I was given (a standard knife with slight ridges) was the sharpest they had.

So, we had some dishes that were stupendous (foie gras, for instance), some that were average, and one that I found difficult to eat due to the level of salt (cod). The greatest problem for me and I think my friends, was the notion that the chef was unapproachable and not to be spoken to.

At the end, one of my friends commented to the Captain that—given our dissatisfaction with the flow and miscommunication, he was surprised that the Chef never came out to inquire, she replied that the Chef never comes out into the dining room (even though by that point we were the last table, and she confirmed he was still in the kitchen). “He is very focused on the food” was all she kept saying; it almost became a parody.

After this jarring experience, I doubt I’ll return to L2O. We saw flashes of brilliance, but far too much unevenness in the execution to make it worth a return visit. Far worse, though, was what I think of as structural problems in communication between the front and back of the house, where the Chef is not to be spoken to (at least as we were told) by the service staff. He may be in a cocoon, but its not to his advantage.

I have to admit, I'm wondering what you expected when you go to a place with a tasting menu and ask the chef to devise something special, as if the tasting menu does not represent the chef's thinking on those lines in the first place. How would throwing together a tasting menu on the fly ever be better than the tasting menu he's already carefully thought through?