Stefan's at LA Farm
Average user Rating: 88
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96
1/26/2010
Recommended Dishes
Beet salad, turkey burger
89
10/4/2009
Don't tell anyone, but what I'm about to say may alarm you, and to some, it may even discredit me.
Ready???
Wait for it...
...I don't watch Top Chef.
Yes folks, make of it what you will. I am severely lacking in the time it takes to fully engage in TV (i.e. it's usually only on while I'm doing laundry), and lack of a DVR might mean that I'm just behind the times - coming from someone who STILL thoroughly enjoys cutting out (and pasting into her recipe scrap book) recipes from the LA Times Food Section. The actual newspaper version, mind you.
But in this progressive day in age of hot new up-and-coming food stars out there, it's hard NOT to be attached to the beloved Bravo Reality TV Show, and the fact that I am not just might mean I'm missing out. I mean, how can I even call myself a "foodie?" Do I still qualify under the guise of food lover, food fanatic, and follower of the LA food scene?
...Anyone out there? Anyone? Bueller?
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Recommended Dishes
Kumamoto Oysters With Absinthe Jello And Fennel Vinaigrette, Seared Diver Scallops With Pea Puree And Bacon
71
10/3/2009
I saw on Eater that Stefan Richter's (Top Chef) new restaurant was at their soft opening stage a few days ago. We had to be in Santa Monica on another errand on Saturday so we decided to take the opportunity to check it out for Lunch. I actually made reservations but that turned out to be unnecessary as they were empty. They were shocked to see us as they had not yet formally announced their opening.
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89
9/17/2009
Some hits and some misses at ToP Cheffer Stefan Richter's Stefan's at L.A. Farm
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Recommended Dishes
Red Wine Popsicles, Scallops with Pureed Peas, Beef Tartare
93
SEXY food from a SEXY chef!
8/20/2009
This was a FABULOUS dining experience. Of course, I went because I was a HUGE Stefan fan during Top Chef...and I still think he should've won.
Anyway, my hopes were high for this place when I went on Saturday and the food did not disappoint!
I tried the TRUFFLE ARANCINI WITH LEMON AIOLI, LIKE A BIG MAC, THAI LOBSTER BISQUE WITH COCONUTMILK AND LEMON GRASS, and my friends tried the KUMAMOTO OYSTER WITH ABSINTHE JELLO AND FENNEL VINAIGRETTE. I'm told the oysters were superb (but since I don't eat oysters, my favorite small plate was the lobster bisque).
For appetizers, we tried the FARMERS MARKET RED AND GOLDEN BEETS WITH GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE AND MESCLUN and CELERY ROOT RAVIOLI WITH PANCETTA AND SAGE. We all LOVED the celery root ravioli. Perfectly al dente. I hate to say it, but this ravioli BLEW AWAY the butternut squash ravioli I had at Fabio's Cafe Firenze.
For dinner, we all shared the MINI MUSHROOM RAVIOLI WITH FOIE GRAS AND BLACK TRUFFLES, LOBSTER AND SCALLOP RISOTTO WITH ENGLISH PEAS DILL AND CHAMPAGNE, and BRAISED PORK CHEEK AND CARAWAY SAUSAGE WITH SOURKRAUT PRETZEL DUMPLINGS AND BEERSAUCE. I never had pork cheek before, but it was INCREDIBLY tender and delicious. None of us could stop eating the sourkraut. My friends thought the risotto was just right.
After we literally finished off every piece of food on all the above plates, we were escorted back to the open kitchen area where we got to watch Stefan cook (I jumped up and down several times like a silly school girl when I realized I could very well have eaten something that Stefan cooked!!). He chatted with us and came out from behind the hot kitchen to pose for pictures. He was SUPER nice and friendly.
I LOVED his arrogance and cockiness on the show and I was happy to find that he has the chef skills to back that up. More than the "character" on the show, he's also a GENUINELY nice person.
After all that, we ate some more. For desert, we each had a REDWINE ICECREAM LOLLIPOP, and split the MOUSSE AU CHOCOLATE WITH BAUMKUCHEN, NUTELLA CRÈME BRULEE, and LEMON GRASS AND GINGER PANNACOTTA WITH PINEAPPLE COULIS AND GRAPEFRUIT GELEE. Everything except the creme brulee was exceptionally good. The creme brulee was just ok.
The panna cotta was a must have since he made something similar in episode #9 and it was the best desert I've ever had. Each component was perfect. Next time, there's no way in hell I'm sharing this desert with anyone. GET YOUR OWN!!!
The food was beyond my expectations. The service was a bit of a disappointment, but I think the staff is just getting used to things and settling in...so I'm willing to over look the confused look on their faces for now.
Overall, I would highly recommend this place whether or not you watched Top Chef.
Recommended Dishes
Pork Cheeks with Caraway Sausage and Saurkraut as an entrée, PANNA COTTA - PERFECTION!
89
Stefan's at L.A. Farm (Santa Monica, CA)
8/13/2009
OK, I admit it, I never really watched Top Chef. All I knew about Stefan Richter was that he was the bald, cocky, European guy who was arguably the best cook on the show.
Stefan's menu is split by small plates, appetizers, and mains. The most interesting items are found in the small plates selection--I mean, who can resist something called "Like a Big Mac?" A word of warning though, small plates really does mean small in this case.
Sweetbread Schnitzel with Potato Salad [$3.00]
When most Americans hear the term schnitzel, we tend to think of the hot dogs of fast food chain Wienerschnitzel. A schnitzel is, in reality, a breaded and fried meat cutlet, and Richter's version substitutes sweetbreads for the traditional fillings of veal, pork, or chicken. The sweetbread was firm, dense, with a mild initial flavor leading to a richer, gamier finish. The tart, tangy potato salad, thus, was a superb complement, effectively cutting the gravity of the schnitzel. My favorite item of the night.
Truffle Arancini with Lemon Aioli [$3.00]
A dish of Italian origins, an arancino is a rice ball, typically filled with a meat ragù and mozzarella cheese, that's been breaded and fried. Richter's take adds shaved truffle into the mix. The result is a delicious cube of creamy, cheesy rice, though the truffle essence could've been more pronounced. Texture-wise, the crisp, crunchy exterior was a fitting foil to the creamy insides, and I enjoyed the tartness of the lemon in tempering the arancino's weight.
Kumamoto Oyster with Absinthe Jello and Fennel Vinaigrette [$3.00]
Kumamotos are my favorite variety of oyster, and here again, I loved its crisp, clean, briny sweetness and snappy consistency. The use of absinthe and fennel added an extremely subtle anise tinge to the bivalve, but I wish that flavor would've been more manifest.
Sonoma Foie Gras with Cracked White Pepper, Smoked Salt and Griddled Brioche [$3.00]
The foie actually turned out much nicer than I'd expected, with the salt and pepper proving to be a great accent to the flavor of the liver. Meanwhile, the brioche really tempered the foie, mitigating its intensity while giving the dish a bready finish and lovely complexion. Very good.
Like a Big Mac [$3.00]
With such a provocative nomenclature (and being a fan of the ubiquitous sandwich), how could I not order this? This was like a mini-mini-burger, a half-slider, a one-bite wonder (though it wasn't the smallest I've had). It was filled with a beef patty, a Swiss-like cheese, red onion, caramelized onion, and some sort of green vegetable (lettuce? arugula?). At first, I thought that the burger was tasty, though not particularly similar to a Big Mac; it was only on the finish that the resemblance made itself known to me. I would say that the beef could've been done rarer though.
Tater Tots with Hidden Valley Ranch [$3.00]
Tater Tots were a favorite of mine during my adolescence, when I would fare them regularly at the school cafeteria. The Tots here, done extra crunchy, thus made for a somewhat nostalgic eating experience. As for the rationale behind the sauce, Richter mentioned that Hidden Valley Ranch was a staple of his when he first came to the US. Amazing, the dipping sauce actually uses real Hidden Valley Ranch (notice that the phrase is not quoted)! A simple but satisfying dish, with the tanginess of the ranch offsetting the monolithal potato nicely.
Beef Tartare with Poached Quail Egg and Breadstick [$5.00]
Our final taste of the small plates spread was this tartare. This was certainly a nice example--lightly flavored meat, a tinge of mustard, a bit of creaminess from the egg, bracing greens, and a subtly acerbic finish. I would've liked to have seen a different breadstick though, as it was identical to the ones in our bread basket.
Sliced Pigs Head with Champagne Chive Vinaigrette, Radishes and Frisée [$12.00]
Think of this as head cheese, basically a cold cut made with pork cheek and other ingredients in an aspic-like gelatin. It had a marked saltiness, with a pleasing tanginess thanks in part to the vinaigrette, and the radishes and frisée worked well in balancing the meat. However, I would've preferred thicker slices, to better appreciate the texture and flavor of the head.
Lobster and Scallop Risotto with English Peas, Dill, Champagne and Dandelions [$20.00]
This was a solid example, with rice that was near al dente--creamy, yet still with some bite--it was slightly too soupy however. Flavor-wise, the initial attack was quite rich, cheesy in fact, while the peas came into the fore on the midpalate, balancing things out with their vegetal tang. The seafood, meanwhile, gave the risotto an enjoyable, briny finish.
Braised Pork Cheek and Caraway Sausage with Sauerkraut, Pretzel Dumplings and Beer Sauce [$19.00]
A nod to Richter's Germanic heritage, this next dish is also among the most oft ordered. The pork itself was braised to a tender, but still somewhat firm texture. My dining companion thought it overly tough and dry, but I appreciated the bit of bite that it still had. My favorite element here, though, was the housemade sausage. I'm a big fan of cased meat, and this was a particularly fine example, with a fantastic sweet-spicy interplay and rich flavor. The dumplings, made from pretzel bread, were also quite enjoyable. Finally, the acidic sauerkraut went a long way in balancing the heft of all the other elements here, though I would've liked the cabbage a bit crisper.
Nutmeg Crusted California Halibut, Braised Baby Fennel, Sunchokes and Lobster Broth [$24.00]
We were pretty much ready for dessert at this point, but decided to order this last savory for the hell of it (deciding between it and the veal chop, actually). The main issue we had with this dish was that the nutmeg crust was too thick, too tough, thus taking attention away from the actual flesh of the halibut, which was indeed quite delicious. I would've also appreciated a thinner broth, with a more delicate application of lobster essence. Though my dining companion would disagree with me on this point, I enjoyed the use of fennel here, which provided a lightening vegetal foil to an otherwise hearty dish.
Red Wine Ice Cream Lollipop [$3.00]
Though these lollipops recalled those from Providence in appearance, they were a completely different animal. Rather than getting an explosive burst of liquid upon mastication, you first get a tart, creamy exterior imbued with the essence of red wine, which then leads to a crunchy, chocolatey center. Great fun.
Nutella Crème Brûlée [$3.00]
Nutella and crème brûlée--it'd be pretty hard to go wrong with this combination. And indeed, this was a tasty little morsel, nutty, yet chocolatey; think crème brûlée, but one that tastes like Ferrero Rocher. The whole presentation is reminiscent of a cigarette and ash tray, no? Richter is a smoker after all.
It seems like Richter has done a fine job in revamping the old LA Farm. His cuisine certainly draws upon his Continental roots, but is intentionally eclectic, and still influenced by the Farm's Californian roots to be sure. The menu is bold, brash, reflecting the Chef's somewhat larger-than-life persona; Richter's still tweaking it, adding and dropping items, hopefully refining things based on early feedback, so it might be fun to revisit the place once things have settled down. Stefan's is a welcome addition to the Westside, and though Richter didn't prevail on Top Chef, perhaps he may just have an even bigger prize here on the Farm.
Full review with photos: http://www.kevineats.com/20 09/08/stefans-at-la-farm-sa nta-monica-ca.htm
89
8/9/2009
We all know Stefan should have won Top Chef last season. Perhaps one of the reasons he didn't win was because the Top Chef producers felt his personality was a bit too abrasive and that, like Hung, he wouldn't be able to parlay a win into attracting investors or opening a restaurant.
Well, they were wrong. Stefan was and is abrasive and arrogant, but he's also strangely likeable, particularly as a first runner up. Now, he's opened a restaurant, Stefan's at LA Farm, that looks like it's going to make some good money for him and his investors.
I went there the first night Stefan's served dinner. The restaurant wasn't crowded due to the lack of publicity at that point, but there were like 3 hostesses and two bartenders and tons of waitstaff and cooks. The restaurant is located on a lonely dark stretch of Olympic so people are going to have to make a little trek to eat at Stefan's. It's got a casual dark lounge-ish feel. You can wear jeans and a tee shirt. Please don't wear flip flops though. That's just lame.
I first sat at the bar and had a cucumber martini and a "Like a Big Mac". It's not a slider, so much as a sliderette. Of course the tiny patty is well done, but it comes with gouda cheese, thousand island (yum yum) and it's so darn cute. For women, this should prove irresistible. You'll eat it and it's almost like it never happened.
Every bar item is $3 or $4 which is terrifically appealing. The portions are tiny too so you can have a little bite of this or that which is the new way of eating. We all have food ADD. After two or three bites, we're kind of over you normal sized entree. Sorry.
I asked to sit by the fire pit. I quite liked the iron brand that sits in the fire reading "H-O-T". It was rather hot but the blue flames added a nice little feeling to the evening.
We ordered white anchovies on an herbaceous cracker. $3. Nice and tasty. The beef tartare with poached quail egg and breadstick was alright, as was the lobster bisque with coconut milk and lemon grass. At $3 each, I couldn't regret either one. The most insanely delicious item is the sweetbread schnitzel with potato salad. The potato salad was a finely diced, mustardy sort and it went really well with the golden lovely fried sweetbread. I would order this again for sure. Maybe even two orders just for me.
We had a Finnish Me Off which was a lovely cocktail that reminded me of an adult Hawaiian Punch.
This is a half portion of the pork cheek with caraway sausage, sauerkraut and pretzel dumplings. This was delicious, hearty and aromatic. The vinegarish tartness of the sauerkraut went a long way in cutting the denseness of this wintery/fall dish. I could happily eat this year round.
On our way out, Stefan was drinking a Finnish Me Off at the bar. We joined him for one drink. He disputed that the Finnish Me Off was anything like a Hawaiian Punch. He was like "no. it's nothing like that. no. Hawaiian Punch is bullshit." He waved his hands dismissively and decisively. He also insisted he would have won Fan Favorite if the voting had taken place two or three weeks later because everyone who talks to him tells him he was their favorite. Well, he was my favorite, but I sort of suspect everyone tells him he was their favorite because he's kind of a lot to deal with in 3-D. He also said given the $500,000 investment that has been pumped in the restaurant he intends to be there every night, so that should be quite a draw for the legion of Top Chef fanatics.
I will definitely be back to eat some of his food. The price is more than right, the ideas are clever, and the flavors are good. All in all, it's a winnerschnitzel.
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Recommended Dishes
sweetbread schnitzel and potato salad, like a big mac, finnish me off (cocktail), pork cheeks with caraway sausage, sauerkraut and pretzel dumplings
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