Does ikura refer to any fish eggs? I always though it was salmon eggs in particular, but I’m not sure why I thought that.
How were the bagged cookies? They seem out of place.
We told the waitress we were in a hurry to get to a concert and didn’t have time for dessert, so the cookies may have been a nice “thank you” gesture. I’m not a cookie person. Peony?
some more menu items from recent visits
@rlw @boourns @CiaoBob @beam review forthcoming?
mozzarella grigliata & canadian olive oil
panzanella, wong’s tomatoes, lambrusco vinegar, aged sheep ricotta
agrumi misti, seasonal citrus, caper leaves, fennel heart, bottarga
salumi & gnocco fritto, dominick’s weekly selections
salmone, dry aged ora king, squid ink salt, agretti, smoked olive oil
merluzzo, dry aged black cod, chili bergamot, seaweed, citrus dressing
carpaccio di manzo, wagyu tongue, pistacchio verde, saba
carne cruda, hand cut milk fed veal, caper leaves, white anchovy
specialita della casa su filindeu
capesante, live diver sea scallop, bergamot lemon, fresh fennel pollen
spizzulus, polpette bianche, lemon, parmigiano, sweet butter
lorighittas, nero di seppia, monterey bay squid, chickpea grattugiato
funghi, vito’s chantrelles, gorgonzola dolce, mascarpone, marjoram
carbonara, taleggio, guanciale, hens yolk, pecorino, black pepper
burrata pugliese, pomodoro passata, fresh black uncinato truffle
capesante, sea scallop, burro bianco, trout caviar, agretti
gamberoni grigliata - grilled santa barbara spot prawns, smoked burro bianco, bergamot lemon
tette della monaca | meyer lemon diplomatica
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IMO, some good to excellent dishes, and uneven execution. Spaghetti, squid ink pasta, carpaccio di manzo, salumi & gnocco fritto were memorable for me. Pork > duck here, really liked the texture of the pork pluma…not to take anything away from the duck, which was also good. Su filindeu was interesting and I’m glad we got such an unusual pasta. It’s a very rustic and simple dish that I’m not sure will be worthwhile to most people. Truffle dishes generally had good truffle flavor and were satisfying.
On to the misses: Carbonara pizza was too salty, not sure how that happened as the guanciale seemed thin, but was unpalatably salty. Sea urchin pasta was a miss for me, not enough flavor and I found the pasta undercooked in the center. Spot prawns were not worth the money (and I love shrimp).
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spot prawns were bad and we should have been sent them back but it was too late. the body was mush, my guess is the prawns died before they got cooked.
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I think you definitely got a dud, mine wasn’t quite that bad, but not the best I’ve ever had.
Is it spot prawn season?
‘This fishery targets spot prawn operating from Central CA southward to the Mexican border. The fishery is divided into two regions: North of Point Arguello, which is open from August 1–April 30; and south of Point Arguello, which runs from February 1–October 30. Fishing is concentrated around submarine canyons.’
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Excellent info. I just pop into 99 Ranch and see if they have any of the critters in the live tanks lol…
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that’s how it is in a lot of italy i found on our last trip… on purpose… .so goes the trend
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A common objective definition of al dente pasta is that there is still a thin undercooked, white portion in the center.
I think Funke comes close to this. Restaurants like Bestia boil about two minutes longer.
Putting aside tastes preferences, the less pasta is cooked the lower its glycemic index.
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Why do restaurants think one scallop is appropriate for a main course? It makes no sense. You can order a 1,500-calorie cut of beef or a 20-calorie scallop. Nor are scallops all that expensive.
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Warrior: It’s good. Borderline Michelin star. I’d say no because (1) many dishes are over salted—not grossly so, maybe 15% too much; (2) some things are over tangy (the chef really loves citrus zest and ikura); and (3) there was too much grassy, chewy part in the artichokes. Oh and (4): the pizza crust is not good enough to be a contender for best in LA. But the good is very good. Unlike another poster, I love the duck. It has an aged, hammy flavor. Umami bomb with the thick blood orange sauce. The Sicilian squash vines is the best vegetable dish I’ve eaten recently. (Peony says they taste like chayote vines, which apparently are popular in China.). The pastas are perfect al dente for me. The gelato is absolutely wonderful.
Peony: I like the food more than my last visit. Some of the food is too salty or too sour. For example the salad is very sour. The crudo is borderline. The sauce for the duck is a little salty; they could get away with less salty. I am just being picky because the flavor and quality are very good.
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Everything is getting more expensive but some of these pizzas approaching $40 is really pushing it (and they don’t even look that good on the pictures)
Went to Stella again.
Warrior: Unusual restaurant. Exceptional ingredient quality. Ambitious, exciting, ever-changing menu with dishes I’ve never had before. The style is serious. Execution varies from pretty good to excellent. Salting is often a little off; snap peas are undercooked. Dish concepts miss the mark for my palate but never in an offensive way. Peony and I value different things. In terms of pure taste, I would rank this restaurant #6 Italian restaurant in LA. But in terms of where I want to go back three months from now, this is #1.
Peony: Good flavor. Good variety of food. Not really my style.
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W: subjectively, I would put Stella in my top ten LA restaurants. Interesting dishes, interesting ingredients, constantly changing menu, good Italian wine list.
P: I think the dishes tonight were very interesting and cooked well. Very comforting flavors.
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I like that they are constantly changing. Each time I’ve gone outside of a few of the standards it feels like a brand new menu.
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We went a bunch of times between march and july because we liked it a lot and it is close by.
Our last visit about 3 weeks ago was a total disaster. It seems like a different restaurant, I thought the quality of the food and especially service went downhill tremendously. Our pastas arrived together with main courses and one pasta actually after the mains. Wine service non existent, the wine we ordered arrived well after the food it was intended for and then we could never get our glasses refilled while the ice bucket was well outside the reach. I complained to the manager (who is new) and they brought us complementary deserts (which I specifically asked not to send) but not the desert we actually ordered. Not to mention charging $80 for half of branzino filet. Gone is their canadian olive oil too. Maybe its the place to see and be seen now.
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