Bazaar at SLS Beverly Hills Hotel
Average user Rating: 94
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Jose Andres makes his L.A. debut here within a Philippe Starck "indoor piazza." This Spanish themed eating environment features three different venues: Rojo and Blanca (tapas), Patisserie (desserts and baked goods), and Bar Centro.
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96
3/17/2010
I've been to the Bazaar several times, but you can find my review on my most recent visit at my blog.
Out of all my visits, my most recent had to be my favorite experience, while my least favorite was when I went for dine LA.
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96
DineLA at The Bazaar by Jose Andres
11/18/2009
I headed off to The Bazaar by Jose Andres last night with the hubby and some friends for a double date night. We arrived a little late, but were promptly seated in the Roja room. The room itself was great...modern, red, and with a great view of the kitchen and Chef de Cuisine Marcel from Top Chef Season 2 working with his staff in the kitchen. I have to say that service at The Bazaar was excellent. Suggestions made by our waitress were very good, and she was super attentive. The waitstaff was also amazing in that they knew each dish to the "T" and were able to answer all of our questions regarding the ingredients.
Here's what we ate, and what I thought of the courses...we had 12 courses plus the 4 amuse bouches plus the 4 desserts plus plenty of cocktails, so there's a lot of ground to cover...but I'll highlight the best.
Amuse Bouche:
Gazpacho - the most flavorful that I've ever had. There was a fresh tomato flavor in additon to that of the cucumber, red peppers, and spices. My palate was so pleasantly surprised with how all the flavors melded together in such a simple dish.
BBQ eel tacos - it was good...flavorful, but I wasn't really digging the cucumber taco shell...it was a bit limp, but the flavors were nice.
Philly cheesesteak - I've been coveting this dish since The Bazaar opened, and it did not disappoint. The air bread was delightful, and the cheese foam was not as overpowering as I thought it would be, but the Waygu on top...delcious! It was like beef butter melting in your mouth.
Jamon Serrano platter - Simply the best Jamon Serrano that I've ever had! The assortment was a delicious sampling of how a pig should be cured. The regular Jamon Serrano was better than other samplings I've had in the past. The Iberico was so good...light...chewy...deli cious! The Iberico Berlota (sp?) was like heaven! It was pork butter melting in my mouth. The tomato toast served with it was good, but not exactly what I was expecting. I didn't really get the fresh tomato flavor that I'm accustomed to.
Main Courses:
Butifarra Sentaor Moniyhan - Spanish version of cassoulet. It was good. A bit salty for me, but good. The guys really like it.
Hanger steak with pequillo peppers - Cooked perfectly, and the pequillo pepper sauce was a nice touch.
Canned mussels - So many people have commented on how great this dish is, and I didn't understand it. While it was good, it did not pack the flavor I was looking for.
Canned oysters - Now this dish was delcious. The oysters were soft and creamy...and tasted of the sea. Doused with Spanish olive oil, lemon, and pepper...it was amazing! I wish our order was larger!
Watermelon tomato skewers - A light and lovely break from all the heavy foods. It was as lovely as all the other CH have reported. Refreshingly good, however, I did not get the strong tomato flavor from the seeds as I was hoping.
Seared scallops with Romesco - The most perfectly seared scallop that I have ever had! I remember the Romesco being good, but because the scallop was seasoned and cooked so well. Perfect sear on the outside, opaque and tender on the inside.
Organized Caesar salad - A very interesting play on the orginal. It really tasted like a Caesar salad, but the elements were so unexpected. The crunch came from jicama, and not lettuce. The dressing was really lovely, and the presentation was spectacular.
Shrimp - A lovely Spanish version of shrimp scampi.
Chacuterie platter - Wonderful trio of cured Spanish meats. The sopprasata (sp?) was particularly good...nice cayenne and paprika flavors.
Desserts-
Warm chocolate heart - The least impressive of all the desserts. Normal molten lava cake. Best thing on the plate was the cardamom whipped cream.
Assortment of sorbets - Delightful! The pear sorbet was the best...tasted and had the texture of eating a pear, except it melted in your mouth. Raspberry was also delish. Mandarin orange...not much to write home about.
Apricot panna cotta - Made with Greek yogurt, it was wonderful. It was layered parfait-style with a layer of apricot jelly on the bottom, the panna cotta, and apricot foam on top. The flavors melded together nicely. The panna cotta was tart and creamy, the jelly was sweet and had a strong apricot flavor, and the foam was delicate. Really nice.
Flan - The best flan I've ever had, and being that it was a recipe from Chef Andres's grandmother, it wasn't surprising that it was so good.
Drinks:
Salt air margarita - A really clever drink. No salt rim, but salt foam on top so each sip had the wonderful salty taste. Margarita was great, too.
Magic mojito - Watching the cotton candy dissolve as the mojito mix is poured over it was fun. Lovely mojito, and I particularly loved the bits of cotton candy that hadn't dissolved...it provided great texture to the drink.
Jale Berry - Made with jalepeno, it certainly had a kick! Try it if you're into spicy.
Pisco sour - It was good, but all the other drinks seemed so much better.
Frozen caprihinia (sp?) - This was a great show. The bartender comes over to make the drink tableside. White rum, lemon/lime juices...and liquid nitrogen! The vapors from the liquid nitrogen could be felt across the table. And it was really, really cold! Because no ice or additional water was used to create the drink, it was certainly strong...but really good. I liken it to a sorbet...a really, really fun sorbet!
Overall, it was a great evening. Everyone was impressed with the food. However, the boys were still a tad hungry afterwards. I thought it was the perfect amount of food. Service was spectacular...and Mayor Villaraigosa and his TV anchor girlfriend walked into the dining room while we were having dinner.
96
11/10/2009
I feel like I’ve just woken from a dream.
A strange dream in a dark candyland populated by well dressed smiling monkeys, impossible chandeliers and clouds of liquid nitrogen.
And this man. Marcel from Top Chef.
The words “Savor Life Slowly” repeating faintly but insistently in my mind.
I’ve emerged from the world of José Andrés, where food is art, art is ironic, and irony is for sale.
Parts of the meal are coming back to me. I remember flashes of brilliance, whimsy and contradiction. Textures and tastes that deceived and surprised. Dishes that reminded me of a history not my own.
But ultimately the experience of a meal that was greater than the sum of its parts.
Let me try to paint a picture.
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Recommended Dishes
Organized Caesar, watermelon tomato skewers, nitro caipirinha
80
7/15/2009
The layout of The Bazaar is unlike any dining space I’ve ever experienced. Designed by Philippe Starck, the restaurant is comprised of several funky venues in one. There are two tapas bars (Blanca and Rojo), Bar Centro, and a pretty in pink Patisserie.
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Recommended Dishes
Philly Cheesesteak
96
Experience That is worth savoring
4/1/2009
I had a wonderful time at an unique Spanish tapas restaurant opened by Jose Andres. There was a three part series I did that included appetizers, main tapas dishes, and desserts.
The Bazaar By José Andrés I http://tinyurl.com/cje2d w
The Bazaar By José Andrés II http://tinyurl.com/bhq7 m9
The Bazaar By José Andrés III http://tinyurl.com/dl6 fcv
All of the dishes are uniquely crafted, presented, and tasted beyond wonders. The chef often described his dishes as a creation out of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory which could be true. One of his most unique creation was a foie gras cotton candy which was just too weird. Sweet candy covering salty meat? LOL
The place was also beautifully designed by Philip Stark and the service was top notch. Don't just expect trying to get the best food, but go there for an unique dining experience. You won't get this like again.
Make sure to check out the unique dessert room also.
Recommended Dishes
Galician Lobster, Medallions Beef hanger steak, Jamón platter, Olives Ferran Adria
93
Another Take on Bizarre Bazaar
12/26/2008
Upon entering this restaurant and hotel, it immediately becomes apparent that this is not your typical Los Angeles restaurant. There are separate sections of the restaurant with dramatically different decors each serving different food: There is the Rojo room for traditional tapas (the main dining room). The Blanca room for new wave modern tapas, and then a cocktail lounge. For dessert, there is another area called the Patisserie which is adjacent to a section selling some unusual functional art pieces (as well as paintings and jewelry) like what you would expect in a museum store or a gallery on Abbott Kinney. Some of the chairs and lamps play animations and movie scenes. It's huge and spacious, lots of glass, mismatched artsy chairs, unusual lighting. The overall effect is quite cool. We sat in the Rojo room, and were able to order from the Blanca room. They also had a roving tapas cart (thus the "Tapas 3 ways" I mentioned.) There is an open kitchen with a clear view of Marcel from Top Chef Season II running around.
We made one mistake, and that was not stopping at the cocktail lounge for a preliminary taste, as we found out later they have a raw bar there with items not on the other menus.
DISCLAIMER: As I review each dish, you will note that I will pick apart a detail here or there. The important thing to remember about this restaurant is that perfect taste is not the only goal. This is just like Iron Chef where presentation and creativity are of equal importance. We came here not just for food, but for a show. This was about flavor and texture experiments, about using specialized technique and technology to achieve a unique sensation. While some of these items perhaps don't reign on taste alone, that is absolutely fine. I love to play with my food, and this is a great place to do it.
A few of us started with some cocktails - only the funky modern ones, of course. Cocktail #1 was your classic margerita except instead of a salt rim it has a salt foam on top. As I am one of those who does lick the glass then sip, I found this new version both tasty and pragmatic. It just doesn't look good to stick your tongue out and lick the glass whilst dining with friends.
Cocktail two was a dirty martini with more foam. The olive was the draw here: Not really an olive but rather a constructed olive globule that was formed using both a calcium sodium alginate baths. It had no olive texture as it was essentially molten, but the taste was of the highest quality Spanish extra-virgin olive oil. We ordered a few more for the table. (Pictured above.) The last drink was the most dramatic; a Mojito that had cotton candy on top. The rum was added to dissolve it into the drink. The drinks were all quite good. They should be for $14 each. The unusual aspect of them was not flavor, it was presentation and texture.
Next, we got to try an item from the rolling cart. It was described as Foie Gras Pate enrobed in corn nuts surrounded in Cotton Candy. These actually were one of our favorite items of the night - There was a great play on texture as well as flavor. It was a great combination of sweet and savory and crunchy. As an aside,we were worried they were going to be very pricey (of course we ordered without asking) but they turned out to be only $4 each. At that price, we each would have gotten a second one.
Jamón platter $32
A selection of all three hams, served with tomato bread
Jamón Ibérico
Dry cured, free-range Ibérico ham, Spain
Jamón Ibérico de bellota
Hand-sliced, acorn-fed, free-range Ibérico ham, Spain
Jamón Serrano
Dry cured ham, Spain
These were simply amazing. Much more tender and flavorful than even the best Proscuitto. The tomato bread was also incredible; we wound up ordering more.
From the menu:
Canning was invented in 1810 in France by Mr. Nicolas Appert. Spain adopted this technique and today is known for producing the best canned products in the world. Here at SLS, we make them in house daily.
Kumamoto Oysters with lemon and black pepper $12
Sea Urchin with pipirrana and Andalusian vegetables $14
Note that this is fresh fish served in a can, not literally canned. They had other options besides the ones we ordered. For me, the veggies overpowered the sea urchin. Others at the table who were not uni lovers said they liked the uni in this preparation. The oysters, however, were a hit across the board. Very fresh and briney, this was a great alternative to having them on the half-shell.
Moving on to Rojos, or traditional tapas:
José’s fried potatoes with alioli and spicy tomato sauce $7
"Tortilla Española" classic potato omelet $7
The fried potatoes tasted like BBQ potato chips with mayo. I did not see the point. The Tortilla Espanola is not a tortilla like one would associate with Mexican food; this was basically a fritatta. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special either.
"Buñuelos" codfish fritters with honey alioli $8
"Croquetas" chicken and béchamel fritters $7
The codfish fritters were the single bad item of the night. Tasted like frozen fish sticks. Actually, frozen fish sticks would have been less fishy. We enjoyed the croquettes but they were no better than what I have had at a decent NJ diner.
Boneless chicken wings with green olive puree $9
Braised veal cheeks with California oranges $10
The chicken wings were a great taste, I really liked them with the salty/briny olive puree. Veal Cheeks: The technique used on the cheeks rendered them extraordinarily tender. We sliced one in half for this picture so you could see the marbling.
At this point, we had had enough of the traditional tapas and elected to move on to the Modern. We picked out a few but as our waitress was extremely knowledgeable of the menu, we invited her to choose the best of the bunch.
BLANCA (Modern)
Tuna with roasted peppers, sesame, and Pedro Ximénez dressing $12
Tortilla de patatas ‘new way’ $8
Warm potato foam with a slow cooked egg 63 and caramelized onions
Tuna was not exciting. The texture was more interesting than the flavor, as they prepared it sous vide and it tasted more like beef than chicken. It was extremely mild in flavor. Potatoes: Another favorite of the table. The egg is cooked for 24 hours at 63 degrees. Very much like a custard or flan.
Mozzarella-tomato pipettes $8
With micro basil
Miso ‘linguini’ $10
With tomato, lemon and caviar
The mozzarella-tomato was very cool and fun. The idea was to put the tomato in your mouth and squirt the cheese "liquid" after it. It did have the Caprese effect.
The "linguini" was actually not pasta but derived from a vegetable, unfortunately I forget which one. THey might have been something like japanese yam noodles. This dish was a real winner from both a flavor and texture standpoint.
‘Philly cheesesteak’ $7
Air bread filled with cheese and topped with Kobe beef
Watermelon tomato skewers With Pedro Ximénez reduction and cherry tomatoes $8
With sexy tomato seeds $14
Cheesesteak was a tasty morsel, but nothing all that special. Don't let the close up fool you, it was very tiny.
The watermelon tomato skewer tasted just fine, but was a gross abuse of marketing. This dish was exactly as described; a cube of watermelon topped with tomato seeds. Not sure what made them sexy. Perhaps it is sexy to spend $6 for the inside of an out-of-season cherry tomato upsell? Their profit margin percent on the tomato seeds is probably more than when you add truffles to a dish.
Brussel sprout salad $7
With lemon puree, a
Recommended Dishes
Jamon Iberico, Foie Gras on a stick, green olives, "canned" oysters, tortilla de patatas new way, miso linguini
96
Disneyland for the Mouth
12/23/2008
Molecular gastronomy has finally come to Los Angeles! Best of all, it is served on the same menu with traditional Spanish cuisine. This is, well.. food heaven by my standards. The meal I had at Bazaar was tres exciting. Before this meal I'd had more exposure to molecular gastronomy theoretically then actually tasting it, so this was a big event and I was not disappointed.
There are 2 sides to the menu, Rojo and Blanca. Rojo contains traditional Spanish cuisine, Blanca non-traditional. Each dish is served tapas style, in smaller portions, the perfect size for 2 people dining together. Knowing that that the avante-garde cuisine would be more satisfying as a dining adventure when I was not experiencing hunger pangs, I ordered some traditional Spanish fare to start with, so that I would not be hungry when we tasted the Blanca dishes.
The Jamón Ibérico de bellota and Croquetas is on the Rojo side of the menu. The hand-sliced, acorn-fed, free-range Ibérico ham was divine. A friend from Barcelona told me that the ham Andres imports is not available anywhere else in the US. It's good!
The jamon was served with a brown bread with tomato spread, a Catalan dish served in almost every restaurant in Barcelona. Brown bread is rubbed with garlic then topped with olive oil and tomato pulp. When I was in Barcelona last summer I remember it being a bit different, same components just less oil and tomato on the bread. This was still very good. The Croquetas de Pollo were excellent: perfectly crisp outside and creamy inside. I could fill up on just croquetas alone. Luckily I did not. The rest of the meal was my most exciting meal all year. Really.
We started with Olives Ferran Adria, FA being his teacher, the molecular gastronomy guru in Barcelona. It looks like an egg yolk, only green as an olive. The inside was filled with an olive tasting liquid. They were served on porcelain spoons. The instructions we were given: slide it onto your tongue then press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. As I did so the salty liquid exploded in my mouth. It was an unusual almost pornographic sensation. One of those things you want to try at least once for the experience more than the taste.
The server was talkative and informative. She was clearly excited about this type of food and wanted to educate her customers about it. She also informed us how the menu is being tweaked to get it just right. So some dishes are a little different, hopefully better than a few weeks ago. We also were lucky enough to get a quick visit from Jose Andres, a friendly and outgoing personality.
Watermelon Tomato Skewers sounds much simpler than it tastes. Five bite-sized portions were served with a Pedro Ximenez reduction and what they call sexy tomato seeds, the tomato seed sack. Micro greens and petals garnished the top. It was a fresh, sweet, tarty taste that burst in my mouth. This seems like a pretty easy recipe to replicate at home. Email me for my version of the recipe at yum@alli411.com.
The plate of Japanese Baby Peaches looked like a piece of art. The peaches were cut into small rectangles and served on a plate of yogurt. Four little persimmons were placed next to each peach-tangle. Little puddles of olive oil and vinegar were placed between each peach. The taste was sensual. I know it sounds odd, but it was. I got goosebumps on my arms as I ate a persimmon.
The meal just kept on getting better. The scallops were cold, frozen, almost like a dessert but from nitrogen, not a freezer. The combo of the scallops with mango-lime sauce a little bit of salt and sweet pepper was quite refreshing.
The piece de resistance was the Tortilla de Patatas 'new way', Andres' version of a traditional Spanish classic. The server highly recommended it and I must admit that I was weary of ordering it. It just sounded, well, weird. I was hesitant about the egg part of it. How was it cooked? I'm quite picky about how eggs are prepared. Nonetheless we ordered it and it was surprisingly fun and delicious, out-of-the-ordinary and completely unexpected.
It is a warm potato foam with a slow cooked egg and caramelized onions served in a margarita glass. I took my spoon, dug some foam from the glass then thrust it in my mouth. The foam filled my whole mouth. It was similar in texture to the foam you get on a cappuccino yet it tasted like a tortilla de patatas (potato omelet). My next spoon full contained a little of the caramelized onion from the bottom, delicious with the foam. What a fun dish!
We also had 2 dishes that were fine, yet not my taste:
Sauteed Cauliflower 'Couscous'- Cauliflower shaped and served as couscous. It was a heartier dish with harissa.
Sliced Apples and Fennel Salad- Pasta like sliced apples served with shaved fennel and Manchego cheese. I could have passed on that one, compared to the other delights I ate.
Dessert was served in the Marie Antoinette-esque dessert bar. We literally moved from one room to another. The bar looked like it was part of a movie set. Bite-size morsels were displayed in glass plates with glass covers. The dessert server gave us a tour of the bar and described each treat individually, a time consuming process yet entertaining, OK when only a few people are dining. I wonder what they will do when the place becomes packed. I loved the mint leaf dipped in chocolate. Another reminder of Barcelona. (Note: mint photo above was taken in Barcelona.)
All in all dining at Bazaar was such a fun treat. I will definitely be returning to The Bazaar soon.
Recommended Dishes
Tortilla de patatas 'new way', Japanese baby peaches, Jamon Serrano, Watermelon tomato skewers
96
An Evening with Jose Andres at The Bazaar
12/10/2008
The Bazaar
SLS Hotel
465 S. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 247-0400
On a Sunday night in LA, you can often get a coveted table rather easily, especially when it is 6:30 pm. There are several new places I am dying to try, but Bazaar tops the list by miles. MILES. And yes, they could take us.
Bazaar is located in the new SLS hotel, on La Cienega in the space that used to house Le Meridian. Le Meridian was nice enough, but no destination hotel. We stayed there for about 5 days once during The Great Rat Infestation of 2005. Starwood turned over the project to Phillipe Stark, and he went wild in his typical Starkian fashion. It is SO Stark, that I thought it was owned by the Morgan's Group. That Stark.
The restaurant is divided into four parts. As you walk in the door you are facing an expansive lounge. Lots of cozy, intimate seating arrangements. Further to the right is the Bazaar itself, an actual shop full of things in many price ranges. Interesting objets d'arte, luggage, shoes, books, cameras, and so on. Everything a joy to look at. To the far left upon entering are the two restaurants, Rojo and Blanca. The menu is also divided by Rojo and Blanca, however both sides of the menu are served in both sides of the restaurant. Rojo is considered more traditional Spanish tapas, and Blanca is the side where the molecular gastronomy goes nuts. We ordered pretty evenly from both sides.
A special on the menu is a dirty martini, with the much ballyhooed spherical olive. This martini is listed with brine air, which would be brined foam. I am sad to have missed the brine air, but too much brine is too much salt for my taste buds. However, I had to have the spherical olive. I needed it.
Dropping the olive into the martini added a little olive oil float to the top, which was surprisingly delicious.
At the bottom of my martini lay this beautiful semi-precious gem of a culinary treat. In essence, what is a spherical olive? The baby of Ferran Adria of elBulli. The chef takes the best olives, purees and strains to separate the essence of the olive. The juice is then laid carefully into a bath of water and calcium salt-algonade. I have no clue what this compound is, and cannot find reference of it anywhere on the internet. Nevertheless, the calcium compound reacts to the calcium in the olive fluid and creates a gentle shell around the outside which then contains the essence. These soft little balls are then marinated overnight in olive oil. This link contains a video of Adria showing how the process is done.
http://video.nytimes .com/video/2006/09/13/dinin g/1194817116543/olives-at-e l-bulli.html
For size perspective. After my martini was empty, I carefully lifted this precious ball out of the glass and into my mouth. It tastes like an olive, but more intense. The liquid is not too thick and very very smooth. Satiny.
The waiter suggested 3-4 dishes apiece. My first choice was a Brussels sprout salad. This might have been my favorite dish of the evening. The sprout leaves were separated but not too torn, and served warm with warm olive oil.
There were also small pieces of what tasted to me like reconstituted dried apricots, peeled grape halves and very small pieces of what I believe was yuzu, a Japanese citrus.
Just delicious. My mouth is watering as I write.
Next out was a miso fettucine. This was served cold, with glass style noodles. I know it looks strange, almost alien. The red balls are not caviar. They are small balls of miso sauce and amazingly gratifying in both flavor, texture and *pop*.
This was the only fail of the night. Our third dish, and one that Jose just put on the menu this weekend, was Taylor Bay scallops. They were served cold and raw, with peach gelato and a large thin slice of ginger. The ginger must have been cut using a mandolin, because it was in a wide thin sheet.
The ginger and gelato were nice together, and I didn't mind the taste of the scallops, even raw (not my fave raw sea creature) however I felt that these flavors did not belong together. Interestingly, our wonderful waiter was happy to get the feedback. He said Jose wants to hear all the feedback from customers so he can change and continually modify the menu. I love this attitude in a restaurant purposefully so experimental. It speaks to me about the commitment to the customers' experience.
Next out was one of the least appealing dishes to look at, but one of the most delightful to put in your mouth.
This is lamb shank, cooked rather rare served with wild mushrooms (yes, they are under that mess), mushroom gelee and potato foam. It was wonderful. Definitely a comfort dish. The foam has substance to it, it was heavy and thick. Lighter than a mashed potato but more like a mousse than a souffle. Even D liked it, and he typically hates creamy anything. This was definitely at the top of my list in terms of favorites.
At about this point our martinis were dry and we were not done eating. Being that it was Sunday we naturally went for an entire bottle. We wanted something Spanish, but don;t know how to order Spanish wine. Sommelier to the rescue. We mentioned that we love pinots (who doesn't?) so he brought out three bottles of Cal pinot. Even though we wanted Spanish we took his rec. He was so charming and the service so sublime, we were just enjoying his clear pleasure in assisting us. He rec'd the Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir, 2005. Once it opened up a little, it was ass-kickingly good. A little while later he swing by with a generous taste of a 1994 Spanish tempranillo. The flavor made my jaw drop. Cherries, licorice, tart, sweet, soft finish...
Because the plates at Bazaar are so small (D calls this Big Mac food, as in he will want a Big Mac after dinner), he ordered bread. I personally didn't find the plates to be that small. Good for sharing with two people. Each person should order 3-4 dishes, and each one was between $10 and $14. Not outrageously priced at all. No more expensive than, say, Tantra or Tasca. The fact that you might not be able to stop ordering and eating might be your downfall, however.
This bread was simple but delicious. It was simply a crusty toasted bread with pureed tomatoes, garlic and herbs spread across. The server then doused the entire plate in a thick, green olive oil. Wow.
At this point, I wanted some input from our server. There are so many tempting things on the menu, but because Jose is known for innovation, I wanted someone more experienced to weigh in. He suggested the above "organized Ceasar salad". All the ingredients of a Ceasar salad wrapped in lettuce and served maki style. I ate most of these...they were dressed very lightly, the dressing tasting strongly of garlic and anchovies. Very nice. Then topped with a generous sprinkling of parm. Light and yummy. This would be fun to do at home for a party,
Our sommelier suggested the Philly Cheese Steak, which I did not see on the menu. This is a really cool little dish. The peppered steak lays across a puffed up little pillow of almost crackery bread, filled with a cheese foam. Just divine. Hearty, but small enough not to overwhelm your tummy.
By this point, every corner of my body was full of food. However, we had also ordered one of the lobster dishes. The DH loves lobster. This seemed like a twist on a classic Maine lobster dish, simple boiled potatoes, lots of lobster, onions and the twist would be the smoked paprika. Smoked. You could smell the smokiness when they set the dish down. I had some tastes of this, simple and very nice tasting. I was too full to indulge much, and since this was probably the least special dish that came to the table, happily so. This was definitely a generous portion of lobster for the price.
After the meal, we still had about a half bottle of wine left. We decided to exit Bazaar Blanca and head to the lounge area to soak up more of the atmosphere. We sat in the Bazaar, looked at the goods and actually had th
Recommended Dishes
brussel sprouts, miso fettucine, lamb shank in potato foam, philly cheese steak
89
Seventy Six Percent
11/21/2008
Seventy six percent...that's how we, as a group of six, did in our quest to devour the entire menu of 63 items.
On the grand opening night of The Bazaar, located at SLS Hotel, I had the pleasure of joining kevineats and tangro, along with some of their buddies, for Kevin's crazy goal of tasting the entire menu. We would have been fine, but after consultation with the waiter, we decided to order two of everything. Apparently, our waiter didn't think one of each would be enough to allow for six people to taste.
On some dishes, he was correct...but many of the dishes could have been shared amongst the six of us. So, after doubling down on the first 30 items or so, we started feeling the push in our gullets, that signal that we were in trouble.
We quickly informed the waiter that it was necessary to cut it down to one per, and made it all the way to dish 48 before we threw in the towel.
Throughout the course of the meal, we were bombarded at times with 4 or 5 dishes, totaling 8-10 plates, at a time. We were enamored by many of the dishes, such as the oysters, the baby peaches, the Norwegian lobster, the sexy tomato seeds with watermelon...at other times, we were dissapointed, with offerings such as artichokes and citrus salad(tasted canned), Taylor Bay scallops(with greens, everything was frozen on top of dry ice), Japanese eggplant and the Galician-style lobster.
Overall, the server was attentive, the staff knowledgeable and the vibe hip. The meal, or menu I should say, is quite a journey of Jose Andres' mastery of molecular gastronomy. Of the many chances he took, he did fail on some. But he also succeeded with some amazing dishes...all while giving a nod to tradition and to the experimental.
A number of the dishes were topped with foam sauces, so it seemed perfectly suited that Marcel Vigneron, of Top Chef fame and known for his use of foams, was in the kitchen.
For an opening night, it was quite a success. With a bit of time to tighten up the menu, I think The Bazaar will become an LA mainstay.
Recommended Dishes
Kumamoto oysters, Alitas de pollo, Japanese baby peaches, cigalas con algas Finisterrae, Watermelon tomatoe skewers with sexy tomato seeds
96
11/18/2008
Photos: http://gourmetpigs.blogspot .com/2008/11/bazaar-grand-o pening.html
(they did tell us not to take photos later on, but ... well too late now).
Tonight was the Grand Opening of Jose Andres' The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel. I was going to sleep but I bumped into KevinEats and Tangbro and decided to beat them to a post while they're still making their drive down to OC O:)
You guys will read their posts anyway with their 48-dish reviews ... I'm certainly going to read it.
The Bazaar is separated into different sections including the Patisserie, Bar Centro, private dining area Saam, a retail area Moss, and dining areas Rojos y Blancos.
My seating area features light colored wooden tables and leather couches, along with this light bar seating where guests can see their food being prepared.At 10 pm it wasn't crowded and I hope it won't get too crowded later on, as I've found that I adore this place!
Our waitress was very courteous and knowledgeable (enough) about the dishes and had some great recommendations.
The menu is divided into "Rojos" - more classic, Spanish tapas, and "Blancos" - more modern tapas, lighter, smaller dishes. We ended up ordering mostly from the "Blancos".
We started with some "Olives Ferran Adria"
These are olive juice capsules. Ferran Adria was Jose Andres' mentor and hence the name and influence. I did love the olive juice but these olive capsules were, well, expensive!
Moving on we had the Jamon Iberico with Pineapple and fennel sherry dressing
Delicious. The jamon iberico is of course amazing, and the thinly shaved pineapples somehow retain their juices and the combination was really great! Refreshing. Loved it.
Next we had the sauteed cauliflower couscous with vegetable harissa broth
The harissa broth was divine. This dish as a whole was just divine. Probably our favorite of the night and we'll be getting this over and over. Plus this one was one of the cheaper dish at $9.
Japanese baby peaches with yogurt and olive oil
To me this was more like a dessert but it was delicious. The yogurt was pretty rich and thick, but the combination with the slightly sour baby peaches were great.
The Bazaar also does something cute - since (so they claim) Spain is the best canned foods producer in the world, they serve "canned" seafoods - that's really made fresh daily.
We had the king crab with raspberry vinegar
Loved this one too. Fresh meaty king crabs went well with the raspberry.
Next we had Japanese eggplant with yogurt, soy caramel, and bonito flakes
The flavor combinations were good, but the eggplant was much firmer than what you'd normally get with miso eggplants and such. You might or might not like it.
The last dish was from the "Rojos" part of the menu and was the biggest one yet. This was the Rossejat de fideos: "Traditional paella-style pasta with monkfish, shrimp, in seafood broth".
The pasta was small angel hair pasta cut into small pieces. It was cooked so that some were crispy which I really liked. A simpler, heartier dish than the rest, but one that I felt we needed.
The dessert menu is similarly divided into Rojos and Blancos. There's no chocolate item though ... but hopefully the Patisserie which would be open later this week can satisfy that craving.
From the Rojos side we had Apples Carlota, bread pudding
Nice and simple. The ice cream was great on this, but I thought the apple bread pudding was a wee bit dry without it. Tasty, though.
From the Blancos we got the Beet Meringue with pistachio, pistachio foam cake
Beautiful presentation. The taste was ... interesting. The ice cream with the pistachio foam cake I liked. The pistachio sauce and the beet meringue had a bitter aftertaste which I can't quite get over ...
Overall a really great meal with great service and ambiance (hope it doesn't get too crowded later!). I'm loving this place so far.
This meal would've been $111 without tips originally - each dish was about 8-15$, average 12$. We got 50% off for today only since they had to reschedule us from last Monday (their original opening date). The 50% definitely made this meal that much more awesome, but I'll be back regardless :)
Recommended Dishes
cauliflower couscous, jamon iberico with pineapple
93
7/13/2009
100
7/8/2009
100
7/6/2009
96
2/17/2009
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