First of all, my photos do no justice to the food at Palate Food + Wine. I forgot my camera and had to use my Blackberry to take these. But let me assure you, the food was absolutely FABULOUS. We shared the gnocchi (above), which was tossed in a light butter sauce with fava beans. It was light as a cloud and delicious.
Also go the barracuda with octopus which was in a light tomato sauce with white beans. There was a fantastic crust on the barracuda, and the creamy beans and light sauce were the perfect match for the fish. The octopus was tender and flavorful and I could have eaten three more of these!!
We each picked a cheese from their selection: one goat and two cows. I wish I could recall the names of each, but I cannot. They were served with a sweet chili sauce, some baked grapes and what I think was an apple compote. The goat (white triangle) was our favorite, but we enjoyed all of the cheeses we sampled.
One of my favorites of the evening was the free bread "basket." The cheese bread was crusty and really cheesy, and it was served with homemade butter (!!), which was dotted with paper-thin radishes and a few sprigs of dill.
The group favorite was the duck rilette. It was rich and meaty, with a hint of tarragon (at first I swore it was shiso leaves, but the waiter checked with the chef and said it was tarragon). We literally scraped the bottom of this jar with our knives. At $5 a jar, you can't get a better deal in town. If you were just going to sit at the bar and have a drink, order one of these and some bread and two of you would be set for the evening. But I encourage you to try everything on the Palate Food + Wine menu, it was THAT good. Everything was perfectly seasoned and the service was spot-on. I will definitely be back very soon.
4 comments:
Why is it that you never talk about prices in your reviews? Is it that you consider it distasteful (not sure why that would be the case) or because someone else is always picking up the check?
X, are you always this cranky? You always leave pissy posts on food blogs. Lighten up. No, someone else is not always picking up the check. The cost was about $60 each, including food/wine.
On the money about Palate. The food is FANTASTIC! I think it compares to the Bar Room at The Modern in NYC, and is easily the most exciting new food restaurant in LA since AOC opened. Gutsy flavors, perfect balance and counterpoints in each dish, and unobtrusive utilization of very cutting edge cooking techniques to deliver a Wow! moment on every plate.
I too was enamoured of the tarragon finish in the duck mason jar, and can't wait to try the rest of them. When you return, definitely try the scallops, the chicken breast and the pork belly.
You just can't keep me away from Palate. It hits on all food levels for me. From the most basic Bagna Cauda in paper wrapping to the chicken that was beyond juicy, I've left very happy every time. The decore and lighting? Eh. But the food makes up for it. And the wine guy is super helpful with a glass or a bottle. He'll suggest just the right wine for whichever combination of food you order. Also, the prices for the food are really low, but the wine prices are pretty typical. Obviously my new fave. Thanks for the review, Clare!
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