Saam Los Angeles 90048 | 94 FoodDigger Rating

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SnooshiKing Favorite Cuisine: Chinese,French 67 Reviews

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User Restaurant Rating 93

A more serious version of the Bazaar outside 4/23/2009 If you want to avoid the crowd and the noise outside and concentrate on the food, then this is the place for you.  All of the signature dishes from The Bazaar, plus some new ones.  It's more playful food than anything else with a kaleidoscope of flavors, which is fine, because it makes for an interesting experience.  But I can't decide whether I like the more hip and lively atmosphere outside, or the more serene scene inside.

For pure food enjoyment, Saam is better.  But I started to notice a few shortcomings with the presentation.  For example, the cocktail glasses had some hard water stains.  The lucite holder for the foie gras lollipops was dented.  And the foie gras blocks themselves were cut rather roughly, rather than being a perfect rectangular block.  After the initial missteps in the presentation, things improved, and both the flavors and visuals became more precise.

But I come back to the food.  It's playful, fun, and meant to inspire conversation (as opposed to being contemplative).  I remember having a great time with friends last time I was at the Bazaar, striking up conversations with our neighbors, laughing and generally enjoying ourselves.  At Saam, I got to taste the food better, but I can't say that I had a better overall experience.  Every time I left the room to use the restroom, I would pass all of the people outside smiling, laughing, looking good....

So both are good in different ways.  But when I go back, I'll take a seat at The Bazaar, thank you. Recommended Dishes It's a set menu

bigwilly Favorite Cuisine: Japanese,Chinese 129 Reviews

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User Restaurant Rating 96

4/22/2009 The restaurant within a restaurant. Continuing with his concept of having a restaurant within a restaurant, Chef Jose Andres has now introduced Saam. Much like MiniBar in Cafe Atlantico, Saam is a separate restaurant inside the Bazaar. Saam offers a chef's tasting only for $120 per, and provides a 20 course experience of Bazaar's cuisine, in addition to some items not offered at the Bazaar. Unlike MiniBar, which only offers seating for six, Saam can accomodate closer to 40.

Named after Sam Nazarian, Chef Andres' partner and founder of SBE, Saam allows for the enjoyment of the cuisine in a more formal atmosphere, with attentive waitstaff at your beck and call. We came here tonight for a reservation of seven, and were blown away. The cuisine, apparently having matured and perfected since our initial visits, was enjoyed in a much different fashion than it has been in Blanco or Rojo, Bazaar's two dining rooms. The quieter, more formal setting only enhanced the dining experience and the ability to appreciate the food. Our 20 course meal began:
We began with a complimentary chef's cocktail, the salt air margarita. It's a margarita topped with salt and lime foam. The foam plays the part of the salted rim, and was infused in every sip. Then the food began:

Sweet potato chips: Super thin cut slices of sweet potato, fried and accompanied by a yogurt, tamarind and olive oil sauce. Simple, but so good.

Cotton candy foie gras: A cubed piece of foie gras terrine, covered in cotton candy, on a stick. The sweet cotton candy made for a playful companion to the richness of the terrine.

Olive oil bonbon: A olive oil from California with a green and nutty flavor, was encapsulated by a candied exterior.

Caviar steamed bun: A Chinese bao stuffed with creme fraiche and topped with paddlefish caviar and salt foam. The saltiness from the caviar and foam contrasted well with the slight sweetness of the bun and cream fraiche.

Bagel and Lox Cone: The cream, filling the crispy cone, was topped with salmon roe. Simply, it was delicious. The saltiness and texture of each individual salmon egg bursting in my mouth paired well with the creme inside.

Olives Ferran Adria: Juice made from the finest olives of the season from Spain, dipped in a calcium bath and sodium alginate. Dropping spoonfuls of the olive oil juice into the calcium bath forms a skin, giving liquid olives. Always a winner here.

Jose's Ham and Cheese: Air bread filled with cheese and topped with thinly sliced Jamon Iberico. A sophisticated interpretation of such a simple sandwich, this bite sized portion was heaven in my fingers.

For rest of review, please go to our blog at:

http://blog.fooddigg er.com/2009/04/saam-restaur ant-within-restaurant.html

kevinEats Favorite Cuisine: Japanese,French 86 Reviews

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User Restaurant Rating 93

Saat at The Bazaar (Los Angeles, CA) 4/21/2009 Ahh The Bazaar...the source of so much acrimony, notoriety, and animosity. I visited the restaurant on opening night last November, and wrote it up, noting the presence of a few weak dishes and on overly restrictive photography policy. I caught a lot of flak for the post, and surprisingly, the news even made to José Andrés himself. Andrés contacted me shortly afterwards, and invited me to dine again at the restaurant two weeks later. That evening was noticeably better food-wise, and we had the added pleasure of hearing Andrés expound his philosophies on restaurants and gastronomy. I hadn't been back since, but was eagerly awaiting the opening of Saam (named after SBE founder Sam Nazarian perhaps?), which had its soft opening on Thursday, April 9. Saam is The Bazaar's "secret" higher-end private "tasting room," basically a small 40-seat restaurant within a restaurant, sort of like Andrés much-lauded Minibar at Café Atlantico in Washington DC.

Saam is located in a separate room behind Bar Centro. According to our server Carolina, the entire space, from the Murano glass sconces to the ceiling, was designed to be reminiscent of the legendary Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy. However, from the photos I've seen of the original, I don't really see the resemblance--the space looks more like Philippe Starck's reading room to me. No matter, what's important is that it's much more intimate, and much more serious, than either Rojo or Blanca of the main restaurant.

The sole dining option is a 20-course tasting menu for $120. The fare consists of original courses, dishes from The Bazaar, and even food from Minibar. As for booze, there's no traditional wine pairing; rather, you're given the option of four wine flights. This makes some sense, as it wouldn't be feasible to pair 20 glasses of wine given the nature of the menu. However, it also means that your sparkling wine will be flat well before the meal draws to a close--a pity.

1: Salt Air Margarita
Interestingly, the first course of the tasting (described as a "welcome cocktail") was actually a drink from Bar Centro. The Salt Air Margarita is basically your classic margarita, but topped with a salt air. This layer of salty foam effectively takes the place of a salt rim and gives the drink an intensely salty attack, tempering the burn of the alcohol. The cocktail's sweet/sour interplay comes shortly afterwards, followed by the woody flavor of tequila. Overall, a balanced, sophisticated, margarita.

2: Sweet Potato Chips
Served along with the margarita, what we have here are chips made from sweet potato along with a dip made from Greek yogurt foam, tamarind reduction, and star anise. We were told that the chips were indeed fried, but removed from the fryer while still soft. They then sit, letting the sugar crystallize, petrifying the chips. By themselves, the chips were nothing special; however, they were great when paired with its dip, allowing the interaction between contrasting sweet and sour flavors to sing. This is an item off The Bazaar's menu.

3: Cotton Candy Foie Gras
A popular dish from The Bazaar as well as Minibar, these lollipops consisted of speared foie gras, coated with chili, and wrapped in corn chip cotton candy. Upon eating it, I had an initial sensation reminiscent of sweet popcorn, which then gave way to the mild creaminess of the terrine. What was fascinating was that the flavor of the liver got stronger and stronger after the effect of the cotton candy faded away.

4: Olive Oil Bonbon
Taken from the Minibar menu, this was extra virgin olive oil, encapsulated in isomaltose (or isomal, a disaccharide sugar), and dusted with sumac and Maldon sea salt. Upon mastication, the bonbon exploded in my mouth, coating my tongue with rich olive oil. The sea salt and sumac then became apparent, giving the dish a contrasting salty/sour finish. I loved the presentation here, with the bonbon perched in an indentation atop a Lucite block.

5: Caviar Steamed Bun
A bun topped with paddlefish roe, crème fraîche, and lemon air. The brininess of the caviar was well-tempered by tangy crème fraîche and more importantly, the subtly sweet bun. Unfortunately, the bun was a bit too large for the amount of caviar, and became rather monolithic toward the end. Quite good, though not as good as the steamed brioche buns with trout roe I had on my second visit.

6: Bagel and Lox Cone
Smoked salmon roe, fresh dill, crème fraîche, all in a "feu de brique" (not quite sure of the name) cone. The cool, sharp brininess of the roe was deftly countered by the crème fraîche, while the cone provided a great texture contrast. This is also available in the main room, as well as Minibar.

7: Olives Ferran Adrià
These "liquid olives" are perhaps The Bazaar's most famous dish, basically olive-flavored liquid mixed with sodium alginate, put into a bath of calcium chloride to create the encapsulating thin membrane. The "olives" were then marinated in a mixture of olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and orange peel. I've had this on both my prior visits, and the effect is getting old. I'm really looking for the kitchen to do something new with this.

8: José's Ham & Cheese
This was basically a revised version of The Bazaar's famous “Philly cheesesteak,” but made with Jamón Ibérico de Bellota and La Serena sheep's milk cheese instead of Wagyu and cheddar. I preferred this version, as the cheese, with its delicate bitterness and saltiness, really complemented the jamón without overpowering it (as was the case with the "Philly"). The ham and cheese really formed a great balance, and was set off nicely by the light, crunchy air bread.

9: Sea Urchin Conservas
This was another dish that I'd had on both my previous visits; fortunately, it was also one of the strongest. The uni was served with pipirrana (a salad of diced onion, tomato, and cucumber), which lent a lovely tang that contrasted the rich, subtly sweet creaminess of the roe. This "pico de gallo" (as described by Javier) also provided a great crisp texture contrast.

10: Boneless Chicken Wing
Another holdover from The Bazaar, the wings were served with green olive purée and ice plant. As before, the chicken itself was immensely flavorful, succulent, and tender, while its accoutrements provided a great counterpoint that elevated the dish above mere fried chicken.

***Please refer to the review linked below for courses 11 through 20.***

Despite a rough start at Bazaar, I must say that I was quite pleased with my experience at Saam. The food was sharper and more focused, the service more on point, and the whole experience gave me the impression of a serious restaurant, with serious food. Since the place had just opened, I accept the fact that many of the items we had were repeats from Bazaar; however, this has to change in the future. I want to see a more or less exclusive line up of dishes, something that will bring us closer to having our own Minibar in Los Angeles, which is what I originally wanted The Bazaar to be. The bottom line is that, after dining at Saam, I'm going to have a hard time going back to The Bazaar. Leave the glitz, the ostentation, and the douchebaggery to the throngs of scenesters and poseurs that fill up Bazaar on a Friday night--as far as I'm concerned, Saam is _the_ way to experience José Andrés in LA.

Full review with photos:
http://www.kevinea ts.com/2009/04/saam-at-baza ar-los-angeles-ca.htm

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