Restaurant Review #203: Eric's, Thousand Oaks

Chocolate bread pudding with bourbon caramel sauce

I will freely admit that I don't have very high expectations of restaurants once I leave a major city. Despite the way that some food critics portray the Los Angeles dining scene as a joke compared to those of New York City or San Francisco, I'd say Los Angeles has enough great restaurants to thoroughly spoil anyone, including me. So when I was taken to Eric's by a friend of the chef to enjoy the restaurant's special eighth anniversary menu, I had my suburban restaurant radar on. The warning signals in my mind started flashing even more when I saw that the restaurant was attached to the Palm Garden Hotel, since I haven't really had any good hotel food experiences in my lifetime, even at $500 a night places. Thankfully, the food far exceeded my expectations, and at prices that would make any Westsider thoroughly jealous.


Bruschetta and olives

Most of our group took advantage of the $30, four-course anniversary menu. At many restaurants, including Eric's, an entree alone can cost $30, so this pricing was quite a steal. I wondered if the portions would be miniscule or if they would only be offering inexpensive dishes like pasta, but they weren't. Corkage was free, and plenty of fresh-baked kalamata olive bread was included, too.

The first course was twin bruschetta crostini with an Italian olive tapenade and a balsamic tomato pomodoro and a small wine glass of green and reddish-brown olives. The tangy bite of fresh garlic and the juiciness of tomatoes that hadn't been ruined by refrigeration paired nicely with the lightly grilled triangles of chewy bread, and the olive tapenade was surprisingly flavorful--bad olive tapenade often tastes like the can its olives came from.


Enclosed patio

We sat on the enclosed patio next to the gas fireplace, which we definitely needed on the chilly January night. The view outside the windows was nothing but lush greenery, but the atmosphere was cheapened a bit by the plastic chairs. Perhaps this part of the restaurant is often used for more casual purposes.


Eggplant and portabello tower

After the bruschetta, there were several choices for each course. I had been craving breaded eggplant, but couldn't find any on my last visit to Trader Joe's, so I knew I had to try the eggplant and portabello tower. Also, the other choices were soup and salad, so I wanted to choose the most unique option. Despite sitting in a red bell pepper sauce, the breaded eggplant retained its crispiness. The eggplant was perfectly cooked, neither too spongy nor too runny, and the dish was beautifully presented. The asparagus retained its smooth skin, crispness, and bright green color, like properly cooked asparagus should. When Chef Robin Nishizaki came out to talk to us about the meal, he said that he created the dish as a twist on the classic eggplant parmesan.


Filet Mignon

For my entree, I chose the filet mignon over the grilled salmon, seared scallops, prime rib fettucini, oso bucco, and seared ahi. It was a tough choice--I could have eaten almost any of them, but I opted for the filet because it was such a great deal. I ordered the filet medium rare, which I realized after taking the first bite was more pink than I could handle (believe it or not, this was the first steak I had ever personally ordered at a restaurant). Though not as tender as some (admittedly more expensive) steaks I've sampled, the table agreed that the meat was excellent. The garlic mashed potatoes had a wonderfully smooth consistency, but they were too buttery for my taste. The sauteed broccoli, baby carrots, and asparagus were all very good, though it would have been nice to have a different vegetable after the asparagus that came with my eggplant. Normally I might not have noticed this minor flaw in the meal, but I had recently finished reading a book by a waitress who used to work at Thomas Keller's Per Se, so my perfectionistic side was probably in overdrive.


Cheesecake churros

Since we knew the chef, we got a bonus dessert of his own creation: cheesecake churros. I can't imagine a more sinful dessert than deep-fried cheesecake topped with caramel, chocolate, and whipped cream, and it was delicious. My only complaint was that I couldn't eat as many of them as I might have liked because I was already incredibly full from the rest of my meal!


Creme Brulee

For dessert, I chose the creme brulee. The generous portion had a delicious carmelized crust. The addition of fresh strawberries and blueberries, both in the custard and on top of it, were an interesting twist, but I think I'm a traditionalist when it comes to this dish.

This extra-fantastic anniversary deal was only temporary, but the regular menu prices are quite reasonable: small plates are $6-$13, and large plates are $20-$34. $34 will get you a generous portion of lobster. While Eric's is not a destination restaurant, I think that anyone living in the area or staying at the hotel would be pleased by the food, the service, and the prices.

Eric's Restaurant and Bar
495 N Ventu Park Rd
Newbury Park, CA 91320
805.716.4100
Eric's Website
Eric's Map

Restaurant Review #188: The Black Cat, Cambria, CA

Sauteed shrimp and beet gnocchi

The Black Cat, a self-described American bistro and wine bar, is one of Cambria's top-rated restaurants. "That's not saying much," you may be thinking, given that Cambria is such a small town with about twenty restaurants total. Even if it were subjected to the rigors of the LA dining scene, however, The Black Cat would fare quite well. This isn't quite as surprising once you learn that the restaurant's owner and manager, Deborah Scarborough, lived in LA before opening the restaurant in the summer of 2002.


One room of the multi-room dining room

The Black Cat's cozy space is reminiscent of a home. Its multiple rooms are cheery and warm with yellow walls, white tablecloths, and wood floors. You'll want to make reservations, because the restaurant only seats 42 (though the wine bar has an additional 20 chairs). There's also an outdoor communal table, but it may be too chilly to enjoy dinner outside most of the year. The wine list features plenty of the local wines you would expect from a restaurant situated so close to Paso Robles, but there are also plenty of wines from every corner of the world.


Stuffed fried olives

I started my meal with a small plate of breaded fried olives stuffed with cheese and paired with a house-picked sherry. Normally, I'm a big fan of rich, creamy, full-bodied sherries with an endless nutty finish, but that wouldn't have been a good choice for a first course. The sherry that accompanied my olives was like a muted version of my favorite sherry - slightly sweet, still nutty, with a less protracted finish. It was a perfect match for the salty, tangy, warm olives.

The other small plate I tried was the sauteed shrimp and beet gnocchi (lead photo) with brandied lobster vanilla cream, toasted hazelnuts, and microgreens. The taste of the gnocchi is hard to describe — it was tangy and sweet, but also something else — substantial, for lack of a better word. Umami, perhaps? It’s a small but filling dish that tastes even better than it looks, and at $10, it's quite a good deal.

Next came the baby arugula and goat cheese salad with apples, shallots, crispy pancetta, toasted hazelnuts, walnut oil and aged sherry vinaigrette, and pomegranate molasses. Though the ingredient list sounds impressive, there really wasn't anything above and beyond about the flavor of the salad. It was tasty and well-executed, but nothing unique. Baby greens are the perfect date night lettuce because they're so easy to eat without making a mess (tell me I'm not the only one who can make a mess eating a salad).


Caramelized apple stuffed breast of pheasant
Pancetta, chestnut and celery root puree, haricot vert, thyme, calvados sauce

Normally I'm not carnivorous enough to jump into a dish as adventurous as stuffed pheasant (which I'd never had before), but I was in a curious mood. The pheasant reminded me of pork in that it didn't have a lot of flavor of its own and had to rely heavily on the pancetta (similar to bacon) for its flavor. The apple wasn't noticeable at all. The most interesting part of the dish was actually the chestnut and celery root puree, which had a surprising tang. It's not a dish I would order again, but I mostly enjoyed eating it simply because it was different.

I left my wine choice up to the restaurant again and was quite pleased. The Red Zepplin syrah, a central coast red, had a refreshingly unique flavor abundant with fruit, and I finished the whole glass, which I rarely do.


Natural prime beef filet
Boniata mash, housemade mole, mushrooms, fresh cilantro, chile lime butter, red cabbage lime mojo slaw, toasted almonds

The closest thing on the menu to a steak suffered from ingredient overkill. Mole is a sauce best left to the masters, not to bistros or Trader Joe's -- the real thing is just too complex to imitate well. The mushrooms were no more exciting than canned mushrooms, and the steak lost the spotlight amidst all the toppings. Boniata, a tropical American tuber similar to yucca, was an unusual but fitting alternative to the typical potato side. Overall, the dish had too many competing flavors, most of which would have shone even on their own. However, the filet was cooked perfectly and was very good quality meat. The presentation was very attractive, and the chile lime butter added a bit of a kick that made the dish much more interesting — its flavor was very subtle and didn’t dominate, but was definitely noticeable.


Chocolate souffle

I'm not even sure what the other dessert options were, because as soon as I heard "chocolate souffle" my dessert order was in. Souffles have to be ordered well in advance; fortunately, our waitress told us as we were ordering appetizers so we didn't have to wait. For me, this was the ideal chocolate dessert — neither too sweet nor too chocolatey. I wished I hadn't opted to share my dessert and found myself scraping the edges of the ramekin with my spoon, refusing to believe that the souffle was already gone.

Despite being away from the big city, you may have some difficulty finding parking here on crowded nights. There is a lot, but it's fairly small, so you may have to seek out street parking. Unlike in LA, however, you probably won't find yourself circling the block twenty times praying for a spot to open up.

Despite the food's imperfections and a long wait for the bill, I enjoyed my experience at The Black Cat. I had a prime back corner table that was quiet and not six inches away from our neighbors (unlike some tables -- Scarborough would have done well to leave that element of the Los Angeles dining scene far behind). Our waitress was friendly and unpretentious. The food, if not perfect, was at least interesting and thoughtfully conceived, and the wine pairings were excellent. Most bistros don't have many vegetarian options, partly due to short menus, but The Black Cat has a respectable selection of about eight items (including small plates). This place isn’t cheap, with entrees ranging from $15 to $32, but the quality of the food and service are worth the prices.

The Black Cat
1602 Main Street
Cambria, CA 93428
805.927.1600
Black Cat Website
Black Cat Menu

Tags:Bistro Cambria The Black Cat Deborah Scarborough

Restaurant Review #148: Lucques, West Hollywood

Almonds, olives, butter and fleur de sel (an expensive French sea salt)

Few food lovers in LA haven't heard of Lucques, run by Suzanne Goin (recent winner of two James Beard awards--a massive honor in the culinary universe) and Caroline Styne. Lucques (pronounced "Luke") serves what I refer to as "upscale restaurant food." In Los Angeles, that often means Cal-Italian or in this case, Cal-Mediterranean.

Higher-end meals aren't in my usual budget, but I had to see what all the hype was about. The nice thing is that if you want to try Lucques but have limited funds, you can order just an entree and get out the door for around $30 (and be full, too), or you can try the famed Sunday Suppers and get a three-course prix fixe menu for $40. You could also visit at lunchtime, when all the entrees are under $20. I like it when a restaurant of Lucques' caliber makes itself accessible to many people.

We made reservations for a prime dinner slot on a weekend. The reservation process was very simple, and the person we talked to on the phone was friendly--some reservation processes can leave you feeling cold (and perhaps questioning your choice of restaurant). Our seating went smoothly, and they even remembered to give us the quiet table that we had requested in advance. The main dining room seemed pretty noisy, so I was happy to be sitting on the other side, facing the patio.

The outdoor patio looked lovely--it's a real patio with high walls, small trees, and vining plants--not one of those tent setups that you'll find at places like Matsuhisa. I don't really care for eating outside because the chairs are usually uncomfortable and it's often noisy, but for those who like outdoor dining, the patio at Lucques is great. It also gives you a little more space, since all of the tables are separate. Indoors, you'll have to sit about a foot away from your neighbors and pray that they don't drink too much wine.

We started off with a glass of champagne and a viogner. There are a fair number of wines by the glass, but many of them are out of my usual $10-and-under price range so I found myself picking drinks by price rather than by type. There were only two champagnes, for example--the one I ordered was around $10, and the other was around $25. Fortunately, there is a little more variety in the rest of the wine list.

To start, you'll get a basket of high quality bread and a plate of almonds and olives with sides of fancy salt and butter. Normally I don't like nuts, but these moist, flavorful almonds packed an addictive, salty punch. Given that the almonds were already salted, I wasn't sure what the dish of salt was for (but we ate enough nuts to merit a second dish, and in that dish, the almonds were salt-free, so the salt dish made more sense). The butter was incredible and tasted homemade: creamy, flavorful, and with a perfect hint of salt at the end. I had to restrain myself from eating too much of it straight. It also went wonderfully with the sourdough bread.

Hidden under the almonds are green luques olives that, like the almonds, are coated in oil. The olives themselves taste stunningly like olive oil, which means that they're pretty mild as far as olives go. Lucques olives are known for having flavors of almonds, hence Goin's pairing. Best of all, you can eat all you want, because seconds are free!


Seared Niman Ranch beef

For an appetizer, we ordered the seared Niman Ranch beef with soy aioli, green garlic, mizuna, and garlic chips. It's great to see a chef using meat that is raised humanely, sustainably, and without the use of hormones--I'd rather give my money to a restaurant that supports the same ideals I do. This was my first experience with eating practically raw beef. I've always been repulsed by the idea, which doesn't quite make sense since I have no problems eating sushi--of course, I used to be repulsed by that, too. Eating raw meat turned out to be much like eating raw fish. The texture isn't quite the same, but it isn't so different, either--for meat to be eaten this rare, it has to be of exceptional quality. The meat was rich and buttery, but I didn't like the way it was served. Why does an already rich meat need to be served with a rich sauce like aioli? The meat didn't need any sauce to enhance it, and the result was much too heavy. The cut greens were top-notch, but I didn't think their texture was a good match for the meat--when I ate both at the same time, it made my mouth cringe. I didn't notice the green garlic, but the flavor of the garlic chips was a nice complement--their pungency and crisp texture were a perfect contrast to the smooth, creamy meat. I'm glad I had the rare beef experience, but I wouldn't order this dish again.


Ricotta gnocchi with asparagus, english peas, pea shoots and carrot broth

The carrot broth made this dish unique and had me practically licking the plate. Without the broth, (which was thicker and creamier than you'd expect) it would have been just another gnocchi dish, not particularly worthy of being on Lucques' menu. The presentation seemed a little sloppy--not what I would expect from such a highly regarded restaurant. The gnocchi were very light, and having the vegetables mixed in with the pasta kept the dish from being heavy, though it was still very filling. I wasn't sure where the ricotta was--was it in the gnocchi? Of course, ricotta is not the most flavorful of cheeses--it's most easily distinguished by its grainy consistency.



Chorizo stuffed chicken with romesco, rapini, golden raisins and almond aïoli

I'm usually not a fan of chicken, but this chicken was tender, juicy, and flawless. It tasted best when I managed to get a little of each ingredient all in one bite. The aioli made more sense here, since chicken isn't rich on its own.

One problem I have with restaurants like Lucques is that I often don't understand a third of the menu. What is romesco? What is rapini? If only I had Wikipedia by my side at restaurants!


Fresh mint tea

I'd never had fresh mint tea before. I didn't think the freshness would make that much of a difference, but wow! The flavor was so much more sweet and crisp than the flavor of dried mint tea. The misshapen brown sugar cubes served on the side were good enough to eat straight, and made the tea even better. There are other fresh herb flavors as well, like lavender and chamomile. If tea isn't your thing, you can order a port, madeira, coffee, or dessert wine.


Summer berry tart

I was so full that the only dessert I thought I could handle was the summer berry tart. I was incredibly impressed--each and every berry was perfect. The sauce drizzled on the plate thing has gotten kind of old if you ask me, especially because it so often looks sloppy, but it was a good way to visually tie all the stray berries together. The tart itself was also a pleasant surprise. Rather than a pie crust-like shell, the shell was thin, crisp, and sugary. Despite my fullness, I ate every bite. The only flaw was that the dessert had a few almonds on top, which I thought was overkill after the appetizer almonds and the almonds on the chicken.


Chocolate cream and hazelnuts with lady fingers and espresso

The chocolate cream dessert was really three layers of cream of varying thicknesses and it was incredible. It came with a deliciously thick espresso, too. I got to try ladyfingers for the first time--these are the cookies of tiramisu fame. On their own, the have a pleasantly light and spongy texture, but they don't taste like much. I dipped mine in the espresso. Yum. The hazelnuts weren't too noticeable, which is fine with me because I generally don't care for nuts. Most desserts are $10 (and worth it).


I love this bathroom!

I just love it when the bathroom is really a part of the restaurant. A strong citrus-scented candle made the room smell great and the decor was so serene. If you're seated in a noisy area, a few minutes of quiet can be very refreshing. The bathroom was so realxing that if there were a place to sit besides the toilet, I would have wanted to kick back and read a book! There are actual towels to dry your hands with, too. I always wonder if cloth towels are more environmentally friendly than paper towels. On one hand, you're saving trees. On the other hand, all the bleach that surely goes into washing the towels over and over, not to mention the bleach that was used on the cotton when the towels were made, isn't exactly good for the earth. Yes, dining out is full of political issues.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Lucques. I will order different dishes on my next visit, or maybe even go late and try the bar menu and cocktails. The service was a little slow and spotty at times, but since I like to take my sweet time over a good meal, it wasn't a significant problem. Admittedly, I was probably a little hard on the food because I expected it to live up to its great reputation. But despite a few shortcomings, I really enjoyed my meal. There is a certain amount of comfort that comes from eating at a restaurant like Lucques, where even before you arrive you can feel confident that you're in for a great evening.

Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90069
323-655-6277
Hours:
Lunch noon-2:30pm Tue-Sat
Dinner 6pm-10pm Mon-Tue; 6pm-11pm Wed-Sat
Sunday Supper 5-10pm
Bar menu 9:30-10:00pm Mon-Tue
9:30-11:00pm Wed-Sat
Valet parking, $4.50, or try your luck with street parking
Map
Lucques' website (with menu)