I like vegetables.  I really like vegetables.  I love meat.  I REALLY love meat.  Since childhood I’ve enjoyed all types of vegetables, even preferring fresh cut carrots and celery dipped in ranch dressing over potato chips.  My dear grandma had a garden full of seasonal offerings, from snap peas and zucchini to rows of bok choy.  I loved her veggies so much, I never got upset for losing 75% of my backyard playing space.  No, instead I helped her tend to her sprouting babies, anxiously watching them grow every day.  We also raised chickens in a pen.  I watched anxiously as they grew from little chicks to plump adults.  I’d even let them escape once in a while, so they could get away from their dry food diet and get some fresh greens out of grandma’s garden.  After gathering them up, I’d deny letting them go after grandma would start yelling at me.  Even then, I knew a varied diet could only produce better chicken.  Not bad for a seven year old, I must say!  We’d dine on fresh veggies and chicken almost every day at 3:00 pm.  That was our daily family meal…something that will always stay with me.

When Kevin of www.kevineats.com invited me to Animal, I had to say yes.  When he informed me it was dinner during a weeklong popup stint for super vegetarian chef Jeremy Fox, I was intrigued.  I’d never had a fully vegetarian meal of a high caliber before, so I anxiously waited for the night to arrive.  Of the two times I’d sampled meatless fare, it’d been places that served vegetables with meat substitutes.  I thought both times the food was weak and the comparisons to meat laughable.  In addition, the absence of meat really left me wanting.  I’m primarily a carnivore, who enjoys vegetables as a supplement to the star that is meat.  And so, I was excited at the prospect of eating a fully vegetarian tasting menu.  My goal?  To walk out saying I had an amazing meal.  My fear?  That I would think it was an amazing meal, for vegetarian.

We started with marcona almonds, which were seasoned with lavender sugar, sea salt and olive oil.  The almonds were a great start, with the rich nuttiness of the almond encompassed by the lavender sugar.

Next, we had the crunchy ‘French breakfast’ radishes, chevre with nori, and black lava salt.  The radish was a bit mild for me, but I enjoyed it’s crunchy texture with the creaminess of the brie. 

Third course was 2x-shucked peas in a consommé of the shells, with white chocolate shavings, ‘chocolate’ mint, and macadamia.  This dish was really quite good, with the chocolate and macadamia adding nice elements to the peas.  The salty consommé brought it all together.  It was at this point I started really getting excited about the possibility of a meatless meal.

Fourth course, ‘Forono’ beet baked in a rose geranium salt crust, with ‘fuerte’ avocado, pickled green strawberry and pistachio.  The beets were intensely flavored, with the strawberries providing an acidic component that really brought out the flavors of the beets.  The avocado seemed a bit out of place in this dish.

Fifth course, young favas, roasted whole, then shucked, with salsa maro of the pods, anchovy “flavor”, parmesan.  This was a mish mash of flavors and textures that I did not enjoy.  It was around this point of the meal that I started thinking about veal and lamb.

Sixth course was the delicious heirloom carrots rescoldo style, in root embers, with vadouvan, coconut labneh and parsnip.  The inherent sweetness of carrots was intensified with the roasting.  Delicious, threatening to bring me back from my thoughts of flesh.

Course seven was the roast celtuce stalk  and fresh liptauer cheese, with ruta-kraut, pumpernickel, horseradish mustard.  This dish did not work for me, as I got a bit confused by the flavors.

Course eight was sweet fennel and puffed wild rice krispie, with fennel bulb, ‘page’ mandarin, bronze fennel.  This first dessert was a bit odd, with the rice krispie being the only thing I can remember.

Course nine was a toasted brioche and sherry “crème brulee”, with fried cornbread, chocolate ganache, shiitake.  The thinly sliced shiitake looked like a piece of bacon to me.  When I realized it was not, I threw in the towel and did not even eat this dessert.

So…what did I walk away with?  I found out that I am not ready for an all vegetable meal.  At least, I’m not ready for high end vegetable tasting menus.  It’s apparent to me that Chef Fox produces vegetarian dishes of extremely high quality, with some serious hits, and some misses.  But there’s no questioning his skill and his passion for showing what can be done with fresh vegetables.  There are so many thoughts of what I want to say, many of them pertaining to meat, but in the end, all I can say is…it was an amazing meal, for vegetarian. 

Heartfelt thanks to Kevin for the invite, and for use of the photos. 

“Do you want to do another preview dinner?”

“Really Ludo?  You’d do another one!?!?”

“For you, Will, of course”.

     And so, our next FoodDigger TastEvent was born.  Do you know how hard it is to come up with these ideas?  Each new event seemingly bests the last, making me feel like I have to continue to one up myself.  But how could we do better than the last one, or the one before that?  Ludo Bites at Gram and Papa’s, Ludo’s latest stop, was the idea I wanted.  But how often can you go to the same well so often?  How long before I wear out my welcome?  The last preview dinner we had with Ludo was a huge success, but another one was seemingly out of the question.  Ludo and his wife Krissy are the nicest people, so I wasn’t about to burden him with another event.  Until he asked…

     As many of you know, Ludo is an artist.  On canvas and especially on plate, he continues to push the boundaries of what we know.  At his last stop at Royal/T, he was a bit restrained in his creativity due to the lack of space in the kitchen and limited engagement(13 days!).  He did manage to wow us with his version of a foie gras beignet and his squid with chorizo oil.  That menu concept reflected the space.  For this rendition, Ludo decided to go old school, a classic French menu with a twist only he can provide.

     The evening was scheduled for 7:00 pm arrivals.  We decided to invite a group of mainly new bloggers to our site.  As each blogger arrived, Jill from Domaine LA greeted them each with a flute of bubbles.  She would stay the rest of the evening to provide expert pairings for the scheduled 9 course meal.  If you haven’t been to her shop, you should do yourself a favor and stop by. 

     We started with a Tartine Plate “Three Fat Textures”.  Each of us was given a baguette, which was accompanied by whipped lard flavored with lavender, clarified butter with Chablis, and a brown butter.  The three distinct flavors of the different fats really set the tone for the meal.  The lavender lard was a play off of Ludo’s famous lavender butter, while the two butters were sopped up greedily.

     Second course was a Carrot Salad with Saffron Crème Anglaise, Pearl Onions, Citris and Mustard Powder.  This dish featured carrots prepared two ways, thicker slices gastrovac’d and thin slices marinated in orange blossom water.  The thin slices were caramelized with a torch, adding a depth that only charring can bring.  The accompanying pieces of citrus and the crème anglaise pulled everything together for me.

     Third course was Egg, Potato Mousseline, Lobster, Borage Flower.  In the past, one of my favorite components to Ludo’s dishes was the 65 degree egg.  Cooked for two hours until the exact temperature is reached, the egg just coagulates, providing the perfect symphony of texture and flavor.  Put that on the plate by itself and I can call it a day.  But no, this egg was presented with a potato mousseline, which was creamy, rich and delicious.  This all topped tender and perfectly cooked and buttery Maine lobster tail meat, creating a silence at the table that was only broken by the sound of spoon scraping bowl.

     Fourth course was Foie Gras Croque Monsieur, Lemon Turnip Chutney.  Do I really have to describe this one?  Just be happy he brought it back.  Ludo has this awful/wonderful tendency to tweak a dish, continuing to better it.  Once perfection is achieved…poof, it’s gone.  Wonderful in that you see the progression of dishes if you go multiple times; awful that it goes away once greatness is achieved.  But being so customer oriented, he brought this definition of a sandwich back to appease the many requests he received.

     The fifth course presented us with Burgundy Escargots, Garlic Flan, Green Jus, Yellow Flowers.  At this point, I was beginning to feel quite full.  So much so that the rich flan and buttery escargots were a bit much for me.  I really enjoyed the play on the classic escargot, with the added earthiness from the green jus, but I couldn’t get over the richness at this point in the meal.  The escargot, however, were beautifully prepared.

     The sixth course was Columbian River King Salmon Confit, Spring Cabbage, Orange Skin and Juniper Berries.  The fish was cooked absolutely perfectly to 85 degrees, with the skin seared to a crisp.  On the plate was the juniper berry sauce, cabbage and agar, a type of seaweed.  The combination of flavors were a bit difficult for me to comprehend, with my favorite part of the course being the crispy skin.

     Course seven brought our last protein, Poached Jidori Chicken, Crispy Skin, German Butter Ball Potatoes, Bacon Royale.  Organic Jidori chicken, more used to being prepared as LFC, was rolled in plastic wrap and slowly poached.  Topped with crispy skin and hazelnuts, the best of both worlds was provided.  The meat was moist and soft…almost pillowy.  The skin was a tremendous contrast in texture.  Incredible!

     For course eight, we were delighted with the Brie Chantilly Napoleon, Honey Comb, Balsamic.  Krissy intimated that she begged Ludo to bring this dish back from his Bastide days.  It was her favorite, so he acquiesced.  The brie was whipped for two hours, incorporating air into the cheese and a sore arm on Holly of The Michelin Project(more on this later).  I put the cheese, some greens and some balsamic in my mouth and wasn’t sure what to make of it.  I started to wonder if this dish was really as good as it looked.  Then, I remembered the honey comb.  I shoved it into the mix and all in the world became right for just a few moments.  The sweetness from the honey comb brought everything together like… actually, there is no comparison here.  It was that good.

     Our final course was a Dark chocolate Souffle, Black Pepper Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Cream.  This little study of chocolate textures gave us the soufflé with chocolate ice cream and a chocolate sauce.  Somehow, the black pepper fought through all of that goodness and gave a contrasting sharpness that really brought out chocolate.  I finished my dish before Elliott of http://fforfood.blogspot.com had her third bite.  But then again, she was busy staring at me in disbelief as I shoveled the soufflé into my mouth.

     As the meal ended, we sat there digesting the food and wine.  Ludo came out and shared some words with us.  He spoke of his love of bloggers, his desire to bring great food to people, and his desire to push the envelope.  He wants to challenge himself and his diners.  He doesn’t do “boring food” and wishes to make his current menu more provocative as his comfort level with his kitchen and staff increases.

     “Like Will, he went to Pierre Gagnaire and he don’t know what the f*ck he ate”.    Thanks Ludo.  But he was right.  I did go to Twist, and some of the dishes left me scratching my head.  The dishes at Twist made me really think.  Just like the dishes at Ludo Bites always make me think.  You may love it, hate it, or like me at Twist, not know what the f*ck you ate, but it’s always an adventure.  You always know Ludo’s passion is entwined in every little aspect and ingredient of his dishes.

       Opening night for any restaurant can be arguably the most difficult night.  There are so many things that can go wrong.  All the vision and planning put into building a space for a restaurant get tested.    I would imagine moving into a space that is currently in business for breakfast and lunch, and making that space work for your pop up concept, is even more stressful.  Ludo eased the stress for this pre-opening night event by…training four interns.  The four students, including the aforementioned Holly, applied for and were granted internships in Ludo’s kitchen.  Speaking to Holly, she stated that night she had only been training for two days.  She gushed about working with foie gras and hand whipping the brie.  I’d never seen anyone so tired looking, yet so happy.  This speaks volumes to me, that this chef could take on this challenge of getting his new restaurant open, and still have time to train four interns to properly execute his dishes. 

     As always, a big thanks to Krissy for being so accommodating and gracious.   The possibility of her going back to being a corporate attorney is always there, so I make sure to appreciate her every time I go back.  She is such a part of the whole Ludo Bites experience, I hope she never goes back to her day job.  Also, a big thanks to the attending bloggers:

Misty- http://www.nomsnotbombs.com

Linden- http://gastronomnom.com

Christina- http://foodjetaime.blogspot.com

Elliott- http://fforfood.blogspot.com

Helen- http://nelehlovesfood.blogspot.com

Christine- http://choisauce.wordpress.com

Julian- www.djjewelz.com (photos courtesy of Julian)

Tsz- http://gastrophoria.blogspot.com

Bianca-  http://www.southbayrantsnraves.com

Amy- http://theroamingbelly.blogspot.com

Hong- http://ravenouscouple.blogspot.com

Cathy- http://gastronomyblog.com

     You all came in with an open mind and empty stomach.  I appreciate you all for spending your time with us and for participating on our site.  Last and biggest thanks, as always, goes to the man, the myth.  The French Bruce Lee.  The man who, when asked by Gael Greene “why lemongrass?”, answers, “why not?”.  Thank you for preparing this amazing meal for us and for being such a dear friend.  You’ve amazed us since 2007, and the only thing more amazing than your food has been your friendship.  My only regret is that I didn’t try your food sooner, but perhaps I wasn’t ready.  Sometimes, I’m still not ready, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of this ride you’ve put us on.  Oh, I do have one more regret…I don’t have any more reservations to Ludo Bites…merde!

I've been a huge fan of Jason Travi's approachable cuisine for some time now.  Fried monkfish medallions over wilted spinach, steak tartare on toast...even a chocolate fondue extravaganza.  I went to the Culver City spot so often that Max, the sommelier, eventually started giving me a neighborhood discount.  When Riva came into play, I was excited.  A few of us from FoodDigger went in the first week and we experienced a number of different crudos, pizzas and desserts.  From what I ascertain now, Sydney Hunter was the Chef de Cuisine.  It didn't strike me as anything big, as my thought was it was just an extension of Jason's menu.  Simply put, I looked at the food almost like I would at Houston's menu, albeit more sophisticated.  Well, Sydney is still the Chef de Cuisine, but now I don't look at his cooking in the same way. 

Riva closed, and the ownership decided to open a second location of Fraiche.  They contacted us about a potential event, and as time passed, we became intrigued.  So, we went about touting this event as a mini FoodDigger TastEvent.  We invited Lindsay and Julie from www.laist.com, Esther from www.estarla.com, Caroline from www.carolineoncrack.com, Kevin of www.kevineats.com, Ryan from http://tangro1.blogspot.com and Maya of www.shopeatsleep.com.  As we arrived, we were presented with the menu.  At the bottom was Chef Hunter's bio.  Per the bio, Sydney graduated from Cordon Bleu in Pasadena in 2001.  He did an externship at L'Orangerie in the last three months of his schooling under mega chef Ludo Lefebvre. By '02, he worked with Alain Giraud at Bastide. By '05, Giraud departed, and Sydney was back under the tutelage of Chef Lefebvre, who made Sydney his sous chef.  After Ludo's departure, Walter Manzke came in and retained Sydney as his sous chef.  After also working with Paul Shoemaker, Sydney decided to accept the responsibility of Chef De Cuisine at Riva. 

Sydney worked with Chef Travi's menu for a while. In the recent past, Chef Travi left(while still retaining a stake in Fraiche) to focus on family, leaving more free reign for Sydney.  Hence, this dinner, to allow for Sydney to better show his skills.  Fraiche also hired Iain Walling as Wine Director, replacing Max, a man whom I've grown to love after my many visits to Fraiche Culver City.  Suffice it to say, I was not sure what to expect with the wine pairings Iain would provide.   By the way, all photos were taken by Kevin. 

Japanese Scallops- Tender and sweet scallop with braised pearl onions, lobster glace, lemon oil and orange.  Upon eating this dish, I realized this wasn't the Fraiche I was used to.  I immediately got transformed into another world with the subtle flavors and textures. 

Fois Gras Terrine-  Light and delicate fois gras layered with prosciutto and fig puree.  Plated with orange gelee and campari gastrique.  Speaking at length with Sydney, he spoke reverently of his experiences with Chef Ludo.  He remembered him as tough, but fair.  Always pushing to create new flavors.  He even said that if we were able to "taste" Ludo in the terrine, then he would know he did it right.  Well, he did it right.  The terrine did make me think of Ludo.  Light, but rich...hard to describe how good this was.

John Dory- With pearl onions, baby turnips, carrots, toasted brioche crumbs on top.  Wonderfully tender fish with the textural contrast of the toasted crumbs paired perfectly with the vegetables.

Halibut-  Topped with paddlefish caviar, the halibut was cooked traditionally in the oven.  Sydney added this as a surprise dish, essentially putting together a dish from stuff he found in the kitchen.  This really showed his skills.  I had asked Sydney if this was prepared sous vide, because it was cooked so perfectly.

Rabbit Three ways-  Three parts of the rabbit prepared three different ways.  Another suprise dish not originally on the menu, Sydney wowed us with this dish.

Bone In Chop- These slices of tender and flavorful pork were accompanied by baby turnips, brussel sprout leaves, butternut squash puree and pepitas(roasted pumpkin seeds).  This was a spectacular dish.  I had others which I would call my favorite, but this is the only dish I remember every detail of.  The slightly fatty pork was tempered by the sweetness of the squash, the hint of earthiness from the turnips, and the tiny bitterness from the brussel sprouts...all finished by the nice woodiness from the pepitas.  Excellent.

This pork dish accompanied the Bone In Chop.  Decadent and rich, we shamelessly asked for an additional four servings.

Milk Chocolate Cremeux- We finished the meal with this final course, which was adorned with candied pecans, brown butter ganache and coconut sorbet.  It was at this point when people were seriously questioning why we called this a mini TastEvent.  We all agreed that this was indeed a mega TastEvent, as we considered licking our plates as we finished the cremeux. 

As we finished the evening, Sydney gave us a tour of the kitchen.  He showed us the pizza ovens and talked about having ideas of what to create with them, now that pizzas were off the menu.  I came into Fraiche Santa Monica expecting a nice meal, without a clue about the chef.  I came away awed by his talents and skill, and with an even deeper love for Fraiche.  I was concerned when I heard that Jason Travi would not be at the helm, but with Sydney, they will be more than fine.  I'm not sure you can get all of these dishes when you visit Fraiche, but I'm sure Sydney will wow you like he wowed us. Thanks to Chef Hunter, Iain, the amazingly helpful staff and all of our guests for delighting us with their company.

When will I learn? Too much of a good thing is bad, right? Thing is, I don't necessarily believe that, as I'm sure Monsieur et Madame Lefebvre will attest to. I guess I've got to realize portioning is the key, as in, when I have to stop mid chew and take a few deep breaths. That's enough of a portion for you, sir.

Let's just say I haven't learned just yet. Today, on my way to the office(yes, it's Saturday. What's it to you?), I suddenly got the urge to change flight plans. For no reason at all, Eat, Drink and Be Merry's blogpost about Ricky's Fish Taco Cart popped in my head. It's a good read: http://eatdrinknbmerry.blogspot.com/2009/08/rickys-fish-tacos-one-man-stand.html

Then I remembered LA-OC's blogpost, http://la-oc-foodie.blogspot.com/2009/08/mini-foodventure-132-tacos-strawberry.html, and decided to do a Google search for the spot in Silverlake that Ricky spends every weekend at. Considering there was no address, and the fact that I was on the 405 going south, it was quite the task. But I remembered HC mentioning that it was in front of Intelligentsia on Sunset. A few hairy moments on Google maps, and I had directions.

From reading the posts, I found that Ricky sets up shop across the street from Intelligentsia, on the corner of Sunset and Hyperion, from 12pm-4pm on Sats and Suns. Since I arrived early, I bought some cheeses at Silverlake Cheese and began searching for the rainbow umbrella that was also mentioned. Noon came and went, and no rainbow umbrella. At 12:20, I spotted a rainbow something moving behind a parked car. A few moments passed, and I realized it was a shirtless, somewhat obese man, pushing a baby stroller with a rainbow flag. At 12:30, I gave up and hiked the 3 blocks to my car. Always the optimist, I passed by the location, did a u, and gave it another pass. Truly giving up, I did a last u to get back to the office. On this last u, I saw the umbrella. A smile creased my face and I cut off three cars to grab a parking spot.

Right away, I got a good feeling about Ricky's stand. Though completely mobile(as in, I'm out in 5 if the cops show), everything was clean and orderly. Since he just arrived, the oil needed a few minutes to heat, so we chatted at bit. I mentioned Eat, Drink and Be Merry's blogpost, and he smiled. We talked about his food, and as some time passed, I learned that Ricky was indeed from Ensenada. His batter, which looked amazing, comprised of self rising flour, baking powder, various spices and saffron flower. The fish? Vietnamese Basa, whose flesh is tender and juicy. The condiments? Pico de gallo, finely chopped with onion, tomato and parley. Crema made with skim milk. Cabbage, finely chopped and fresh. Salsa, slight heat and great flavor. The tortilla? Corn. When I asked how he heated it, he said there was no need. He knew the vendor, and they were just made two hours prior.

I noticed the oil seemed different than the oils I've used. I love frying everything, so I asked what the oil was. He told me exactly what it was, but asked that I not tell. Let's just say, I can think of no better 'oil' to use!

As Ricky finally handed me my first taco, I remembered to take a picture. Only one, so enjoy:

Upon sinking my teeth into this montrosity, I immediately got all of the flavors of the condiments at once, followed by the crunchiness of the fried batter and finished with pillowy soft fish. I finished that thing in 30 seconds, shoving the last two bites into my mouth. As I struggled to not choke to death, Dylan of Eat, Drink and Be Merry walked up with some colleagues. How fitting, I thought to myself! So, I re-introduced myself and let him know I was there because of his blogpost.

After finishing a second, I ordered three more to go. I told Ricky about my cheese in the car, so he quickly assembled three more monstrosities and sent me on my merry way. Dylan was a little astonished that I had ordered so many, but I ignorantly professed that I could eat ten of these. After arriving at the car, I scarffed down numero tres, and started feeling a little push in the gut. After the fourth, I was downright full. It was at this point that I started thinking about how far I'd travelled, and how long I waited for Ricky to show up. I decided I couldn't wait any longer and powered through the fifth, and most painful, taco.

Even though I feel disgusting, I'm glad I was able to find Ricky's Fish Taco Stand. At $2.50 a pop, these gorgeous tacos are a bargain. Needless to say, I will NEVER go to Rubio's again. Set yourself on a mini food adventure and head over to Ricky's in Silverlake. Just don't eat five...I need to go lay down now.

Served on spoons, the celery root puree worked in pefect harmony with the tomato cocktail and vodka gelee.

-Tuna Sashimi with Sushi Rice Ice Cream, Shishimi Togarashi-Sushi grade sushi slices topped with sushi rice ice cream, fried shallots and Togorashi. Beautiful interpretation of nigiri with the fried shallots leaving a lasting richness on the tongue.

-Chorizo, Onions, Cornichon-"How pedestrian", I had thought to myself when I first eyed the menu days before. "Hmmm....I wonder what twist he's going to throw at us?" Sure enough, the dish came out as a chilled soup. The smooth and cool soup had the essence of Spanish chorizo meshed with the richness of heavy cream. Topped with a canele of cornichon ice, this dish blew me away with it's simplicity and thoughtfulness. All preconceived notions of sausage were thrown out the door with each spoonful and lick of the empty bowl.

-King Red Salmon, Smoked Vinegar, Watermelon, Mint

Signature Ludo, as we were instructed to take the tuna in one bite, than follow with the watermelon. The mint tied all of the flavors together.

-Shrimps, Sweet and Sour, Rosemary-These were perfectly cooked shrimp topped with a slightly sweet, slightly tangy sauce that really enhanced the natural flavors of my favorite crustacean.

-Foie Gras Tart, Lemon Paste, Mushrooms, Four Spices

This maple tart, topped with foie gras and mushroom slabs, was accompanied by a thick lemon paste. I refuse to give more, as only tasting it can do it justice. Truly a "blow me away" dish, that is now on the regular menu at LudoBites.

-Diver Scallop, Port, Creme Fraiche-The perfectly seared scallop was enhanced by the creme fraiche foam. Absolutely delicious.

Norwegian Lobster: Another favorite, a sliver of lobster over fresh seaweed, accompanied by a broth in an espresso cup made from the head. The essence of lobster is revealed here in marvelous fashion.

"Smoked salmon": A one ounce to one and a half ounce portion of brined salmon, poached, was served with a tzatziki sauce that went through the spherification process similar to the olives Ferran Adria. The salmon was moist, with hints of the brine. Quite nice.

Not Your Everyday Caprese: A cherry tomato, compressed, with the 'sexy tomato seeds' and a mozzarella sauce prepared with the spherification process. Topped with a pesto sauce, this made a normal caprese seem pedestrian.

Tournedos Rossini 2009: Our final savory dish of the evening.

A dish was created in honor of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, a noted gourmand. In Chef Andres' new interpretation, a piece of A-5 Japanese wagyu is topped with a truffle gelee, mushrooms and slices of foie gras. This extremely rich and decadent dish was a great finish to the savory dishes. I cannot adequately explain how delicious this dish was.

Dragon's Breath Popcorn: Candied and carameled pieces of popcorn, dipped in liquid nitrogen. Eaten with mouth closed, a puff of smoke comes through the nose. This dish has come under a bit of fire in the recent past. Intended by Chef Andres as something playful and unexpected, numerous internet writeups have taken the surprise away, causing Chef Andres to essentially remove it from the rotation.

Chocolate Biscuit Coulant Michel Bras- a mini chocolate souffle like cake over a bed of whipped creme flavored with cardamon and sugared ginger pieces. The souffle was runny on the inside and the cardamon added an interesting flavor contrast. Pleasant, but still trying to decide how much I enjoyed it.

Coconut in 'Half Shell': Coconut creme in a cocunut flavored edible shell. Passion fruit sauce made this dish Fiji on a plate.

Petit Fours: Candied passion fruit, chocolate drizzle on a stick and saffron truffles. Although the truffles were way too sweet, this was a great ending to a great meal.

At the end of the meal, our server got us a tour of the kitchen, where chef de cuisine Michael Voltaggio thanked us for our patronage. Our group of seven caused a bottleneck in the kitchen, but no one seemed to mind. Each and every person in that kitchen welcomed us like family, including Marcel Vigneron, of Top Chef fame. We stayed much too long in the kitchen, talking food with Chef Voltaggio. They even took the time to take pictures with us, and offered us full run of the place. We graciously got the heck out of there, as we saw how busy they were.

Saam is a true success that allows for the diner to have an option to enjoy the meal in a formal setting. In some instances, the lack of quality in food is exposed when eaten in a nicer atmosphere(try Father's Office). In the case of Saam and the Bazaar, the food was allowed to shine. This was truly a special meal.

Surprising to some, but burritos are not authentic Mexican cuisine! I know it must be a shocker to some people, but authentic, regional Mexican cuisine is much more complex than what you'd normally find in most LA Mexican restaurants.

Because of what Javier of http://www.teenageglutster.blogspot.com/ described as serendipity, he had the opportunity to meet Chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin Del Campo, both of La Casita Mexicana. Jaime and Ramiro were two chefs Javier became acquainted with while watching Univision's Despierta America. Gathering up his courage, he walked up to these two television personalities one day at the Gold Standard and began a new friendship. After a lengthy conversation on food, specifically regional dishes of Mexico, the two chefs generously offered to host a dinner for Javier and some of his pals. So, a special night was born at La Casita Mexicana, where a lesson, and amazing Mexican cuisine, were had.

Javier sent out an email, and we all converged on this tiny restaurant in Bell. As we all settled down in our seats, the chefs began the evening by showing us ingredients used in different regions of Mexico. Dried chiles, black corn, cactus...there were so many things I've rarely or never seen. It was evident, though, the chefs' passion for their food. They inspiringly conveyed their desire to showcase what Mexican food is truly about.

They then began the meal by making three salsas in thier molcahete, or mortar and pestal.

-Salsa de Jitomate con chile serrano y cilantro Mexicano.

-Salsa de Tomatillo de Milpa con semillas de calbaza y chiles de arbol tostados.

-Salsa Cruda de Tomatillo y Hoja Santa.

All three were beautiful. However, the chefs would not allow for chips, as they were concerned that we would fill ourselves up too quickly. They planned on serving 18 dishes that night, so they were so right!

The dishes were:

Sopa de Pescado con Hoja Santa(fish soup with Hoja Santa leaf)-A clean fish soup with a squeeze of lime.

Chile Jalapeno Rellenos de Atun-Jalapeno chiles stuffed with Tuna. Very good, with the spiciness muted by the removal of the seeds and the veins.

Queso Azteca-4 different types of cheeses blended with Epazote, and baked in a fresh banana leaf, then grilled on flame. A bit salty, a bit tangy...bested any queso fundido I ever had growing up. Served with fresh made tortillas.

Tomalitos de Huitlacoche-small tamales filled with corn fungus. My 1st experience with huitlacoche...definitely not my last. The beautiful earthy flavors of the fungus opened my eyes to what was once considered a pest to corn harvests.

Enchiladas de pollo con tres moles-Three enchilas, each topped with a different mole.

Each mole, consisting of well over a dozen ingredients, was painstakingly created by the chefs. Experts in mole, the chefs served up six different types of mole this evening.

Enchiladas Rojas de Queso Cortija. Made in the Michoacan style, these simple enchiladas consisted of tortillas dipped in chile sauce and filled with grated Cortija cheese. Really simple, yet marvelous.

Mole de Almendras con carne de puerco-Almond mole with slow cooked and shredded pork.

Mole Blanco-made with white chocolate over chicken breasts.

Puerco Adobado-reminiscent of a Filipino pork adobo. The smokiness from the dried chiles made this dish a winner.

Cochinita Pibil-Pork roasted with achiote and habanero, wrapped in plaintain leaf

Pescado en Salsa de Tamarindo con Chile de Arbol-Sea bass with a tamarind sauce. One of the weaker dishes, but still quite good

Cecina al chipotle-dry cured beef sauteed and covered with a chipotle sauce. By far my favorite dish, as the concentrated beef flavors from the curing really came through. The chipotle only accentuated the flavors of the beef. Dish hails from Veracruz.

Chiles en Nogado

These stuffed poblano chiles topped with a mile cream sauce were indescribably delicious.

Churros Rellenos de Cajeta-Churros stuffed with caramel. Not anything you'd find normally in LA...or Baja, for that matter. Crunchy on the outside, sweet and creamy on the inside. Paradise in a bite.

Flan de Calabaza de Castilla-Pumpkin flan. The massive flan served 20 of us, and was only half gone!

Ponche de Jamaica con Jacotes y Nuez-Hibiscus punch with chopped pecans and Jocote fruit. Sweet and nutty...a great drink.

Flan de Calabasita-Zucchini Flan

Toronja Grajeada con pasta de Chocolate Mexicano-These were crystallized pieces of grapefruit rind, with a dipping sauce of super thick Mexican chocolate. To create the dried grapefruit rind requires a 24 hour process involving multiple techniques. Originally served to cardinals of the Catholic Church. A truly religious ending to a religious meal.

Throughout the evening, the chefs answered any and all questions and were amazingly gracious. They not only enlightened us on what true Mexican cuisine was, but they showed us their passion with the foods they created. Our evening at La Casita Mexicana will not be one soon forgotten. Many thanks to Javier for having the huevos to begin a conversation with these two super chefs, and many thanks to Ramiro and Jaime for an unforgettable night.