Omigoodness!!! So, I squeezed in last minute reservations at Violet during Dine LA. After viewing a demonstration by Chef Jared Simons on the Dine LA website, I just had to. The dish looked absolutely delicious. Ok, I will openly admit, that it wasn't just the food. Full disclosure, the chef is superhot! He's like a rock star. Seriously.
As it were, I ended up dining with another member of a food group I joined recently...more on that later :). The Dine LA menu was a prix fixe meal for $25. Fantastic value for the quality of the dishes. Of course, I left my damn book again. I mean, seriously. I know...I'm kinda hopeless. Therefore, I resorted to emailing descriptions of the food via my very handy Crackberry.
My starter was the house cured salmon, with baby beets and horseradish. The salmon was sliced into very thin strips. It was reminiscent of thin pancetta slices. The baby beets were cut into nice sized cubes. I know that I'm officially an adult because I love beets. The salmon and beets were topped with freshly grated horseradish. It was surprising. Everything worked really well together. It was a lovely dish, and indeed a wonderful start. My entree consisted of the grilled skirt steak, with celery root mousse, red wine sauce, and braised leeks. My dining companion noted that the steak was not hot. Sadly, I agreed. Although the temperature was off, it was cooked perfectly. Really good skirt steak is not common. Many tend to overcook it and the result is a piece of meat that is as tough as leather. However, this was cooked medium rare/medium and it was juicy and tender. Not perfect, but pretty darn close. The celery root puree was new for me. Honestly, celery root is kinda gross looking. So, it's not something I think to pick up or eat. However, I'm glad I did. It was really smooth and creamy. It greatly benefitted from being plated next to the red wine sauce. Mmmm. The leeks, while nice, were more of a garnish. That was a little disappointing. Now, on to my 2nd favorite thing (I'll get to the first later...I promise)about this meal. The dessert. I had the ginger panna cotta with roasted pineapple. Again, omigoodness. It was wonderful. The panna cotta was spicy and smooth. I've had panna cotta in the past, but never a ginger panna cotta. This rendition was a real treat. The pineapple, ohhhhh the pineapple. Can you say delicious? What a wonderful pairing of spicy (the ginger in the panna cotta and the cinnamon on the pineapple) and sweet (the sweetly carmelized pineapple). Roasting the pineapple created this wonderful caramelizing effect that enhanced the sweetness of the pineapple. Mmmm, so delicious.
So, I mentioned that the dessert was #2 in a dining experience complete with highlights. So, what was #1? Three words: macaroni and cheese. Violet is kinda famous for their mac and cheese, so we decided to split the dish. I'm generally weary of restaurant macaroni and cheese. While a Cali girl, I have Southern roots. Southerners are serious about their macaroni and cheese. So, to say I was hesitant was an understatement. But, I took a chance. If this is the payoff I get for throwing caution to the wind, I will definitely do it more often. It was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!! Macaroni, gruyere cheese, leeks, and serrano ham. I cannot stop raving about this dish. Yes, it was that good! So, good that I plan to replicate it very soon. But, at only $9, it's easier to just go to Violet.
To top it off, the check came with a shot of milk and a cookie. How precious it that? Also, Chef Jared was in the house. Chillin! Oh, and our waiter was Sam's (from Top Chef 2)Doppelgänger. So fantastic food and eye candy. How can you top that?
Violet was the perfect ending to my brief Dine LA experience. I will definitely make it back. Sooner, rather than later.
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