#16 – Anisette Brasserie’s Pain au Chocolat

“I knew it would happen…the day would finally come. But not this soon! I figured it would be at least halfway through…maybe by pLAte 35 at the earliest,” I dejectedly said to John as we wandered down the Santa Monica 3^rd Street Promenade.

Now, I know what you are thinking – he is cashing out his chips at pLAte #16. What a wimp! No, no, no my foodie friends – what happened this past Wednesday night was far worse. Let me explain …

John suggested we head out to the movies to see Bridesmaids starring Penelope, err…The Target Lady, umm…Gilly.

John - “It’s Kristen Wigg.”

Right, right the Suze Orman look-a-like. Anyways…there were some stipulations on this little adventure.

John - “Well we can go see it in Marina Del Rey, Downtown at LA Live, Santa Monica or at Universal Studios CityWalk!”

Me – “CityWalk?!? Great, maybe we can take a ride in that wind tunnel machine while we’re there too.”

Crazy stipulations can only mean one thing…you guessed it, there was a Groupon purchase involved in this endeavor.

John – “Don’t make fun, it’s a good value!”

While dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp and bowling at Jillian’s was incredibly tempting, I made the executive decision to pass on CityWalk and head to the 3^rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

“Besides we can cross another pLAte off the list!” I insisted.

Anisette Brasserie is tucked away on one of the side streets off the main Promenade drag in Santa Monica. According to Jonathan Gold’s list it offers up a Pain au Chocolat pastry that rivals the best in Paris. For those who aren’t familiar with this delicate treat, think melted chocolate inside of a buttery croissant. 

Have I got your attention now?

What I pictured in my head of this quaint brasserie was an open aired bakery akin to the one Meryl Streep owned in It’s Complicated. You know, bright and airy with the sweet smell of pastries filling the air. What I saw upon arriving was a slightly different image….

Closed! FOR GOOD!!! And even worse...a new restaurant has already taken its space. After inquiring with the folks inside, they assured me there was not a Pain au Chocolat anywhere on the premises.

Me - “Well this is a disaster of epic proportions!”

John – “Yea no kiddin, I mean now where are we gonna get dessert?”

Me – “John…Priorities! This changes the whole premise of the blog!”

John – “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. I’m googling the closest Yogurtland.”

Well there ya have it folks, we are officially down one. I guess that’s what happens when it takes six months just to get to the sixteenth pLAte on the list.

We’ll be back next week with an all new post, in the meantime…I wonder if anyone has nabbed the domain www.98-plates.com.

Anisette Brasserie

CLOSED

#15 - The Gorbals Dill Fries

It was the second Thursday of the month, which means only one thing…no I was not at home watching reruns of “Extreme Couponing” on Tivo. (I’m out of episodes on my DVR) I had the chance to check out Art Walk: Los Angeles. For you non-Angelinos, Art Walk is a monthly street party in the heart of Downtown LA. Gallery owners open their doors, food trucks compete for prime real estate and hundreds of hipsters/wanna-be hipsters hit the streets in an effort to inject some culture into their lives.

I’d love to be able to say I was moved by the dramatic artistic expressions of the next great generation of modern thinkers in a post-21^st century space…but let’s be honest…I didn’t step foot in one single gallery. I was there for the food. Specifically, Top Chef winner Ilan Hall’s The Gorbals restaurant.

Tucked in the back of an old arts building on 5^th and Spring, this meat-centric restaurant serves up a mixture of Scottish and Jewish cuisine. The menu is broken down by protein: Pig, Cow, Sea, Bird, Lamb and Herbivore.

“Well we have to get the Bacon Wrapped Matzah Balls,” said Kelly. “I’ve decided that any pLAte experience I am a part of has to have bacon.” Kelly, who you might remember from the origins of 99 pLAtes, was out for her FIFTH visit to LA in just two years. (Not that I’m counting Mom).

“Michael, did you remember to print the Blackboard Eats code?!?” asked John. In somewhat related news…I think we’ve found our first subject for my newest reality hit, “Extreme Grouponing”.

After ordering our round of drinks, It’s Bourbon Honey, a French Cowboy, and a Desperate Housewife (I’ll let you guess who ordered what…), we started deciding on some small plates to share.

What follow is a picture of what was ordered and a one liner of what we thought about the dish:

Fried Squash Blossoms

Kelly – “This tastes like leftover Chinese food”.

Not off to a great start…

Warm Broccoli Hearts with Soy, Chilies and Vinegar

John – “I love sesame seeds and the crunch on outside of the garbanzo beans!”

Bacon Wrapped Matzoh Balls

Michael – “I LOVE these, but am I the only one that thinks this borders on anti-Semitism.”

John – “Somewhere Peter is shaking his head disapprovingly.”

Burger Onion Six Ways

(sautéed, fried, roasted…I lost track of the other three ways…)

Kelly – “The menu says: Every time we cut a burger in half an angel loses its wings. So just take a bite and pass it along.”

John – “So we’ll cut it into thirds? No harm, no foul!”

Banh Mi Poutine

Kelly – “I would describe these as nachos, but with French fries instead of chips.”

Michael – “I would describe these as DELICIOUS!”

And finally…the pLAte we came to try:

Dill Fries served with Aioli

 John – “I dunno about these…”

Kelly – “Just wait, they have a complex aftertaste. You need to settle in. Wait for it to get there.”

It’s true, the chips (or fries as we’d call them) were insanely addictive after the first few bites. Paired with a dab of the aioli, I couldn’t help but reach for more and more and more…until...

Kelly – “Michael, do you want to just stick your head in their and lick the bowl.”

John – “If he doesn’t I will!”

Finally a pLAte that doesn’t disappoint! The Gorbals is well worth the trip. I’m already looking forward to returning to try the Half Cut Roasted Pig’s Head!

Kelly – “Umm, I said I’d eat the side of the pig. Not the EYE of the pig!”

The Gorbals

501 S. Spring St.

Los Angeles, CA 90013

#14 – The Hungry Cat’s Lobster Roll

Me – “Why is it all fish at this place?”

Peter – It’s a seafood restaurant Michael…plus ya know, cat’s eat fish!”

For the record, the only cat I’ve ever seen eat a fish was Heathcliff on Saturday mornings during the 80’s. But minor details aside, Peter and I were thrilled to sit down and enjoy a meal at The Hungry Cat in Hollywood this past Tuesday night. We sat side by side in a booth (yes, it was awkward) for ten minutes or so while we waited for our dining companions Adam (the old roommate) and Justin “Skippy” Walter (the old roommate who crashed on the couch). After a brief cameo during the Marathon post, Skippy begged for a full-blown featured blog entry.

Peter - “As long as he doesn’t wear a Survivor buff!”

Me – “Well he was wearing one at work today…”

Peter – “I mean…”

Things you need to know about Skippy include:

 

1. He is OBSESSED with reality TV and will literally get up and run around the house screaming whenever there is a blindside, merge, quitter, double elimination, hidden immunity idol or shocking twist in the game.

2. He lived on our couch for three months upon moving to LA and paid us with gift certificates, Ralph’s sherbet and a Christmas tree.

3. He bears an odd resemblance to Aladdin. See his Halloween FB pic to the left…that is still being used as a profile shot.

As soon as Adam and Skippy arrived, we quickly placed our drink orders. The Hungry Cat is known for its fresh fruit juice infused cocktails, so I went with the vodka-spiked Luke’s Lemonade (in honor of Ben Roy who flaked on dinner at the last minute).

We also placed an order for the famous Hungry Cat Lobster Roll, which also happens to be the pLAte for this restaurant. Peter warned that the roll is perfect for lunch, but not so filling for dinner so we ordered it as an appetizer for the group to split.

With ordering out of the way, it was time to get to some good ol’ gossip. All three of my dinner companions happen to be single and Adam had just returned from an eleven-day trip to NYC…there had to be some good stories to spill.

Adam – “Oh I’ll tell you but it all has to be OTB.”

Skippy – “Off Track Betting?!?”

Peter – “No, no. OTB – Off the Blog”

Here are a few snippets of information…you can fill in the rest of all the debauchery this group has experienced.

Adam – “This night ends…”

Peter – “Naked!”

Me – “My skinny white legs and boxer briefs...on KTLA!!!”

Peter – “Who responds to a birthday Facebook wall post?!?”

After being sworn to secrecy for the third time in 20 minutes, our Lobster Roll arrived on the table. Overflowing with chunks of tender pink lobster meat and accompanied by a plethora of fries, the roll almost looked too perfect to divvy up.

Justin – “How do you eat this, it’s so big!”

Peter – “That’s what she said.”

Me – “Aww…too soon!”

Bursting with buttery flavor, one bite into the lobster roll and I was brought right back to the coast of Kennebunkport, Maine during a warm summer night. (How Land’s End of me?)

Skippy – “I love, 10 points!”

Peter – “How did you find a way to make this into a scored competition?”

The Lobster Roll was good, but I’ll tell ya what was even better – the Chorizo with Clams and Beans in Broth. Peter had been singing the dish’s praises for weeks and after tasting just one spoonful I knew it was the winning dish of the night. Sure the dozen clams and heaping amount of chorizo are great, but the best part of the dish is dunking your crusty aioli covered bread into the savory sauce that coats the bottom of the bowl.

Skippy’s Pub Burger (the only non-fish dish on the menu) and Adam’s Halibut received thumbs up across the board. Seems like everything at the restaurant was a winner, including the Chocolate Bread Pudding we shared as a dessert.

With the last spoonful of chocolate scraped from the dish, Peter’s anxiety quickly kicked in.

Peter – “I feel like this might not be a funny blog post. I mean did we bring our A-games tonight?”

Skippy immediately switched gears in hopes of getting back to the scandalous details from our earlier conversation.

Skippy – “Do you think they ever role play as Mickey and Minnie?”

Adam – “Actually it would be Mickey and Donald.”

Not to worry Peter, I think we have the comedy covered…

The Hungry Cat

1535 Vine St.

Hollywood, CA 90028