Last night, I attended a media dinner at The Dining Room at The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena in honor of their new menu from Chef Michael Voltaggio. Previously, I've blogged about their amazingly decadent chocolate afternoon tea.
Michael just joined The Dining Room at the end of July and will be a contestant on the upcoming season of Top Chef, so pretty exciting to get this sneak peek. His menu features a selection of creative small plates showcasing New American cuisine and his passion for "molecular gastronomy," which is a form of food science that takes a food's normal consistency and structure and turns it on its head.
Over the course of the luxurious evening with e*starLA, Lindsay, FoodGPS, My Last Bite and Eating LA, we tasted seven plates. My favorites were the Pacific Yellowtail with soy-watermelon and salty sea sponge and fresh wasabi. I didn't think I'd like sea sponge but it was so savory. Another highlight was the Pastrami Pigeon with rye infused jus, brussels-kraut and puffed Gruyere cheese, as well as a suckling pig plate. Each entree was intense, artful and paired with a wine or ale. There was also an ocotpus dish with a sauce that somehow managed to taste like a bowl of buttered popcorn and was paired with a buttery Chardonnay too.
Now for the yummy photos so you can see what I meant by "artful":
For the complete menu not on a tasting night go here.
Michael just joined The Dining Room at the end of July and will be a contestant on the upcoming season of Top Chef, so pretty exciting to get this sneak peek. His menu features a selection of creative small plates showcasing New American cuisine and his passion for "molecular gastronomy," which is a form of food science that takes a food's normal consistency and structure and turns it on its head.
Over the course of the luxurious evening with e*starLA, Lindsay, FoodGPS, My Last Bite and Eating LA, we tasted seven plates. My favorites were the Pacific Yellowtail with soy-watermelon and salty sea sponge and fresh wasabi. I didn't think I'd like sea sponge but it was so savory. Another highlight was the Pastrami Pigeon with rye infused jus, brussels-kraut and puffed Gruyere cheese, as well as a suckling pig plate. Each entree was intense, artful and paired with a wine or ale. There was also an ocotpus dish with a sauce that somehow managed to taste like a bowl of buttered popcorn and was paired with a buttery Chardonnay too.
Now for the yummy photos so you can see what I meant by "artful":
For the complete menu not on a tasting night go here.
That was so fun! The pairings were excellent, too. Moar beer!
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot about Michael Voltaggio and his molecular gastronomy, and it sounds like it's a very unique way of approaching food, flavor, and especially textures.
ReplyDeleteI think it's be supremely interesting to get to go through 7 different dishes...and they all look great.
wow -- that looks just amazing!! glad you got to enjoy something so special.
ReplyDeleteI'm sending my chef brother here so he can see these. Wow!
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