Hatfield's in Hollywood

Hatfields

When my good friend Sam C asked me where we should go to celebrate his birthday, one of the obvious choice was Hatfield's. It is without a doubt one of the very best restaurants in Los Angeles in terms of taste, service, and creativity. In fact, when the Michelin Star guide was around in LA, they've actually received a Michelin Star. A highly prestigious award.

The seasonal prefix menu(Prix Fixe) was what we decided to order from. Which consists of 1 apps from each section, 1 entree, and 1 dessert.

Apps 1:
-Sashimi of Kanpachi
Pinkerton avocado, oro blanco, Fresno Chili, beet salt

-Pan Roasted Diver Scallop
Za'atar crouton, salsify puree, English Pea and Tarragon emulsion

Apps 2:
-Charred Cuttlefish
Roasted Maitake Musrooms, Crispy pork confit, caramelized parsnip, carrot puree

Local cod "En Croute"
-Ginger carrot puree, brown butter soy longbeans

Entrees(sort of):
-Pan Roasted Duck Breast
Roasted sweet potato sticks, sweet and sour cabbage, scallion puree

-Pan roasted Wagyu Flat Iron Steak
Hazelnut romesco, caramelized carrots, sauteed pea tendrils

Dessert:
-Caramel Parfait
Mascarpone mousse, espresso granita, almond praline, chocolate crumble

-Sugar & spice Beignets
Venezuelan chocolate fondue, Earl Grey Milkshake

Each set was only $63 dollars, which isn't bad for a place like this. All the dishes were very elegantly prepared. Made me wished my palate was more refined, so I can taste all the thoughtfulness that went into preparing our dishes. The scallops were fantastic; perfectly cooked  and prepared with sophisticated garnishes. The duck breast was better than the Wagyu steak. The flavors, the sauce, and the texture of the duck just defeats the steak in every way. Although the Wagyu was not bad, I've definitely have had better; presentation was definitely an eye sore compared to the other dishes and was not as tender as I thought it would be. Probably the biggest disappointment of the night.
All the desserts were brilliant. Especially the Earl Grey milkshake. Feels as if you were Eating Earl Grey tea with milk. A sublime way to end the night.

A few tips, valet parking is on the side street and they have a $30 corkage/bottle. Max 5. Our prefix menu dishes were a bit dainty. The regular menu items are more expensive, but they come with a healthy serving of deliciousness. Always go with the prefix when possible(unless you know exactly what you want).

6703 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 935-2977

How to: Grilled Carne Asada Tacos

Servings: 4 (or 2 really hungry dudes)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Marinate Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skirt steak or flank steak
• 12 flour tortillas
• A can of beer
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 cup cilantro chopped
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 jalapeno chopped (optional) 
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional) 
• 1 teaspoon paprika (optional) 
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup guacamole (optional)

Directions:

1. Season the steak with salt, pepper, and ground cumin. We added some crushed red pepper and paprika for a little extra heat.
2. Get a plastic bag or preferably a zip lock bag and toss the steaks in. Throw in all the garlic, half of the chopped onions, lime juice, half of the cilantro, all the jalapeno(we didn't use jalapeno, it's great way to add extra flavor if you enjoy the heat), and the one can of light beer(lager).
3. Seal up the bag, make sure you get as much air out of the bag before closing it up. Mix the ingredients in the bag a bit by moving them from the outside of the bag. Then leave it in the fridge to marinate for about 1 hour. 
4. While the meet is marinating, you can combine the rest of the cilantro and onions together as one of the toppings for the tacos. 
5. Take the meat out of the fridge 10 minutes prior to grilling. That way, the meat can cook evenly on the grill. Depending on the thickness of the steak you have and how well you want your steak, you are going to want to have the grill on HIGH heat. About 2-3 minutes on each side for a medium rare. Let the steaks finish cooking on the indirect heat for about 5 minutes. 
6. Take the steaks off the grill, and cut the steaks against the grain of the meat. Dice the meat into a quarter of an inch. This way, you can bite into a taco without the meat wanting to escape from the tortilla. 
7. Heat up some tortillas, grab some meat, some of the onion and cilantro mix, and your favorite salsas and toppings and enjoy! 

Maru Santa Monica

Maru

12400 Wilshire Blvd
Ste 150
Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 820-7240

marusantamonica.com

Not a new restaurant, just a new location. What was once a culinary destination in Valencia, California, is now one of the hottest places to dine in West LA. Maru, meaning circle in Japanese, is a very good representation of the various food that is served here. This restaurant may seem like a fancy sushi restaurant. But they have a full kitchen that serves steak and a very creative twist to what they call "Risotto!" The man responsible for these artistic array of culinary delights is Chef and owner Jason Park. And this is our food adventure at Maru...


Menu

Sashimi
Wild Albacore usuzukuri
-Fresh Albacore tuna caught locally on the coast of California. The fish was soft and moist. Each little garnish gave the Albacore a different dimension. It was light and appetizing, good way to start any meal. Very well executed dish.

Sushi
Hon maguro, fooko, nama tako, wild salmon, shima aji
-The fishes used to make our Nigiri sushi were flown in from Japan. And nothing brightens up my eyes more than the vibrant color of good quality blue fin tuna. All the sushi were sublime in their own ways. Every piece of sushi is meant to be enjoyed as is. That means the usage of extra wasabi or soy sauce is unnecessary. Just eat what the chef gives ya!

Heirloom Tomato Salad
House made ricotta, shiso pesto, sherry vinaigrette
-A very nostalgic dish because my mom used to add sugar to tomato and let it chill in the fridge overnight. Next day, we would have a nice cold treat. It was ironic that Chef joked about it, because that's exactly what I would have thought if he didn't tell us that the tomato are naturally sweet. Which are hand picked by the chef himself. Talk about dedication right?

Butterfish
Pan roasted, cherry tomato, cranberry beans, black kale, lemon broth
-Very elegant dish with very nice color contrast. The fish was nice and crispy on the outside, moist and flaky on the inside. The acidity in the chicken broth worked with with the pan roasted fish. Gave the dish a nice balance.

Crispy Duck Risotto
Crispy duck confit risotto cake, herb salad, tomato sauce
-Leave it to Mad Science/Chef Jason Park for coming up with this unique mashup of culinary art. Not sure you could even call it a Risotto anymore. The duck confit was just overkill. Delicious overkill that is! Definitely one of the more interesting dishes we tried. The amount of different flavors and textures in this dish was absolutely mind-blowing.

Filet Mignon
Brandy-Merlot glaze, roasted garlic potatoes with shiitake mushrooms.
-Not something we were expecting. Perfectly cooked Filet Mignon at a Japanese restaurant. Beautifully arranged, cooked Medium rare, and the very interesting sauces. The meat was tender and the spicy chili sauce gave the dish a good Asian twist to it.

Pork Belly
Sake-soy braise, garlic infused black kale, marinated shallots, roasted tomatoes.
-One of the most unique dish here. If there's one dish that you must get at Maru, it's this one! When you eat the pork by itself, it's a bit 2 dimension, and the kale is very fibrous by itself. But when you have both together, the balance of the pork and the kale comes together beautifully. The kale adds the 3rd dimension to the flavor, creating that "umami" flavor. Vice versa, the pork somehow gets rid of the fibrous texture of the kale. Absolutely brilliant! Perfect dish to finish our entrees.

Bread Pudding
Valrhona semi sweet chocolate, Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream
-Nice and crispy outside, warm and moist inside. Top it off with ice cream, forget about it. Just gimme some of this and a cup of that delicious coffee. I'll be a happy camper.

Peach Tart
Reiger Farm's  O' Henry's, almond cream, Creme Fraiche ice cream.
-Chef's version of a peach tart. It's almost like a deconstructed tart.

Berry Cobbler
Assorted organically grown berries, Tahitian Vanilla bean ice cream.
-The outer crust almost makes this look like a cupcake. The fresh fruits used in this cobbler is very obvious. Very aromatic. Another scoop of that delicious Tahitian vanilla ice cream never hurts anybody. AMIRITE?

As you can see, Maru is an "all around" dining experience. One thing they emphasize here is the local ingredients they use. Big thanks to Chef Park and his staff at Maru for their generosity. Big thanks to Jenni Hwang for inviting us.

Elite Event: X Games And Fleming's

Aside from all the commotions trying to get to DTLA by 5:30 and finding the Chick Hearn statue, this event was AWESOME.

I liked the idea of the tour. Definitely helped me worked up an appetite. Getting to see the staple center covered in dirty was pretty cool. Our tour guide was super chill, thanks bro! Glad that I got to see the X Games stage in person before they leave LA.

By the end of the tour, I was looking forward to a nice piece of juicy steak! I know I know, wishful thinking. But it was not far off. Fleming's had set up this super legit banquet room for us. Even got a sommelier to pour wine for us and any wine questions we may have. I didn't get a chance to play with the"wine pad" but I did checked it out. Looked pretty neat. Not sure if ipads will replace the sommelier soon, definitely something to think about.

Shrimp Cocktail w/ Kris Pinot Grigio delle Venezie Italy
Big shrimps, oximoron? Delicious.

Lamb Lollipops w/ Saint Clair Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand
Super tender lamb chops. Wish I had more, too busy drinking the wine.

Skewers of Filet Mignon w/ Chateau De Parenchere Bordeaux France
Not as tender as I thought it would be. But very tasty just like the wine.

Assorted Homeade Chocolate Truffles and Berries
Such a fancy treat. Wish there was more light in the room to take some good pictures.

This was a great event. Got to meet a lot more people this time. This was probably the best event(this year) so far. Big thanks to Fleming's for being super generous and being nice about everything. Thanks to the X Games for giving us that exclusive tour! And the biggest thank yous to our fearless leader Katie B. for setting it all up.