Monday, December 7, 2009

Dinner and a Show

Mr. Monkey's birthday was a month ago, but Friday night was a celebration of sorts.
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Part One of our celebration was at Patina, the beautiful restaurant inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I loved the ripples all over the room.

Adored the orange spotted water glass.
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The olive bread wasn't bad either.

We arrived at the restaurant really early, so we could enjoy the tasting menu ($100).

Amuse bouche of chestnut soup with crème fraîche foam and crostini.
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Do you like chestnuts? I do. I savored every smooth spoonful of this. So good.

Marinated hamachi, geoduck, cucumber vinegar, avocado, crostini, green apple mustard.
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As luscious as it was pretty! The yellowtail was so fresh and delicate and punctuated by happy chewy little slices of geoduck. And the Froot Loop-looking rings? Fabulous tangy and crunchy accompaniments.

Fall glazed vegetable mosaic, "jus de cuisson," navet oil.
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What a work of art! Too bad they were just vegetables. Don't get me wrong. They were good vegetables. Maybe even great. But, really, they were still vegetables.

Butter-poached Maine lobster, salsify, butternut squash, mango, "jus de la presse."
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This was lightly cooked, so that the the texture was denser and meatier than that of fully cooked lobster. With just the butter, the lobster's flavor really shone, and the sweet and starchy sides worked well.

Medallions of Millbrook venison, Lady apple, celeriac, sweet potato, "sauce poivrade."
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Not the best venison we've ever had, but still very meaty and tender and not at all gamy. Don't hold all the jus against Patina -- when asked if I wanted extra jus, I said yes before I realized that it would make my plate a mess.

White truffled brie de meaux.
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Creamy soft cheese with white truffles? Yes, please. Frisée was the perfect thing to cut the richness of the white truffled brie.

Although we did not partake, we admired the cheese cart.
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We smelled it before we saw it.

Mr. Monkey loves French pressed coffee.
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This Ethiopian blend was strong. Eight dollars' worth of strong.

Chocolate Lover's Contrast.
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This delighted Mr. Monkey. I mean, just look at it.

Contemporary apple tatin with Granny Smith sorbet.
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Because I'm allergic to chocolate, I substituted a different dessert. The baked apples were lovely, and the sorbet was mouth-puckeringly awesome.

Petit fours.
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Mini chocolate macaron, marshmallow, fruit gelée, tiny blueberry muffin, and cashew crisp. Tiny bites of yay!

The bill was discounted because Mr. Monkey belongs to Simply Patina.
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$30 off your meal within 60 days of your birthday! It should be noted that our server, James H., was fantastic -- knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive. Impeccable service from start to finish.

Part Two of our celebration involved these.
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The Airborne Toxic Event! Third row! Neither of us had ever sat so close at a concert!

Before we went inside, I snapped these shots.
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I love this hall so much. Thank you, Frank Gehry.

No photography is allowed inside Walt Disney Concert Hall. At all. Not before the artists take the stage. Not in the foyer. Not during intermission. Not even with an iPhone.
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But I have my ways.

Gorgeous food. Incredible band with a quartet, marching band, children's choir, and folklórico dancers. Super close seats. And we sat the entire night because it's the effing Walt Disney Concert Hall! Nobody stood up until this last song! Yes!

Amazing.

22 comments:

  1. The lobster looks amazing.

    And that concert hall looks exactly like the outdoor convert venue Frank Gehry did in Chicago. He needs some new ideas.

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  2. what an amazing meal! love the architecture.

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  3. yum yum yum.

    major bonus points that no one stands at the WDCH! must see a show there, stat.

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  4. Patina has got its plating DOWN. Every plate was gorgeous!

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  5. Wow. Looks great. I walked by this place several times on my way to and form jury duty and I always wondered whether it one of those DTLA restaurants that held up to its price. Looks awesome.

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  6. the food looks good but 3rd row!!! that's awesome. i love disney hall but i've only been there once and in the nosebleeds. i must go again. i also want to go see an opera this year. so much to do so little time.

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  7. Beautiful plating! Some of the best I've seen... I'm rolling my eyes at the no-photo ushers. You did good, monkey. lol

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  8. That show looks amazing! So jealous!

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  9. What a great way to celebrate a birthday!

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  10. that hamachi and geoduck dish looks delicious!

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  11. Gorgeous plating style, and gorgeous plates as well! The cheese cart is probably the largest cheese cart I have ever seen. Did anyone get angry for you taking photos during the concert?

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  12. Looks like you and Mr. Monkey had an amazing time! I do have to question, allergic to chocolate?? :( Though your dessert did look quite good!

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  13. Happy Birthday to Mr. Monkey!

    Isn't butter-poached lobster just a gift from heaven? I also want that hamachi dish, stat!

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  14. everything about this post is simply awesome - the food, the band, ooooh i'm so jealous!

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  15. outstanding. as always, reading your posts makes me salivate. how embarassing. your food pics get better with time, incredible and crisp macro shots. is this a new lens?

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  16. It's my 35mm f/1.8, which I've had since May.

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  17. Looks like a great night. That food is beautiful.

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  18. yum. yum. i need that cheese cart in my house at all times. maybe santa's listening.

    gehry spoke at our school this past semester. he told us all about his biggest erection in manhattan to date. he is a cute, old, smart man, despite the 10-year old jokes.

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  19. Hmmm I'm so hungry now. The food at Patina just looks amazing. I would like to take a bite of my monitor.

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