So, a couple of weeks ago, my friend Marissa scored a hard-to-get reservation at Breadbar for Ludobites. Lest you're unaware, renowned chef Ludovic Lefebvre, of L'Orangerie and Bastide fame, was cooking three nights a week at Breadbar, while he secretly prepares for his next restaurant venture. Lest you're really unaware, Ludo is not only a great cook with a fabulous ethnic name, he's also really hot:
(Reminds me of some other great ethnic-name-sporters. Viggo, I'm talkin' to you.)
My dining companions included Lesley Balla, who writes EaterLA, Josh Williams, editor of CurbedLA, and Grant Morgan, who writes the awesome food blog Well Fed. Pretty heady company. Now, the food was spectacular. Here's a list of some of the things we ate: Broccoli Guacamole. Chicken Liver Mousse with Green Apple Gelee. Foie Gras Miso Soup. Black Croque Monsieur (the "black" is squid ink).
But even more interesting, it's BYOB at Ludobites. You walk in, they hand you a corkscrew. My kinda joint. Of course, it made for an off-beat wine selection.
Me, I brought one of my let's-haul-it-up-to-Mammoth for Thanksgiving choices, off the "Great Wines Under $10" rack at Whole Foods. My choice, Panarroz 2006 Jumilla, happened to be a Robert Parker pick. (I picked it because I felt a little racy). It's a blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah -- lately, my three favorite grapes. Very nice, very quaffable, delicious with that Chicken Liver Mousse.
The winner, however, was Marissa, who brought Consilience 2004 Petite Sirah, saved from a trip to the winery in Santa Barbara. Now me, I sometimes forget about Santa Barbara, given all those years I spent in the Napa Valley. Marissa's wine, however, made me remember that tunnel vision is not a good thing. Because nowhere in Napa would you find the description that Consilience has on their website: "Like that crew cab super duty turbodiesel 4x4 pickup truck confidently rolling into the parking lot, this vineyard designate Petite Sirah from Eric Caldwell’s La Presa vineyard is big, bold, American, and proud of it. But just as you’re struck by the majesty of it all, an equally confident but petite and refined woman steps down from the cab and catches your surprised and admiring look as you glance away. And so with this wine, the initially bold mind and mouth filling berry flavors give way to a firm but refined palate of smooth tannins and other complexities of taste and texture taking you somewhere into the unexpected. The depth of flavor and cling-to-the-glass consistency make this the heavy hitter of the day and a rewarding exercise for the senses of the unafraid. It’s hard not to smile as you look back down into the glass and desperately hope she likes purple teeth."
That's right, in Santa Barbara they still understand that wine ain't no big, fancy thing -- it goes just as well with the 4 X 4 as it goes with the foie gras.
If you have any info on Ludo's next venture, whisper it in my ear . . . right here . . . I'll share the info only with Viggo, I promise. (Viggo: call me)
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