Andy Gavin's Blog, page 129
February 4, 2015
Gwang Yang – Beeftastic
Restaurant: Gwang Yang Korean BBQ
Location:3435 Wilshire Blvd.Ste 123.Los Angeles, CA 90010.(213) 385-5600
Date: February2, 2015
Cuisine:Korean BBQ
Rating:Very good high end KBBQ, if a little pricy
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The K-town KoreanBBQ places have been growing increasingly high end of late. I recently tried out Madang 621 and now my Hedonist gang has descended on the new Gwang Yang.
Located in one of these high-rise plazas across the streetfrom the every popular Boiling Crab. The sign claims someone thinks it’s th...
February 2, 2015
Say Hi to Shi Hai
Restaurant: Shi Hai
Location:1412 S Garfield Ave.Alhambra, CA 91801.(626) 282-3888
Date: January26, 2015
Cuisine:Cantonese Dimsum
Rating:Fun dishes, good, but dumpling skins too thick
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My quest to try all the great dimsum houses in the LA area (mostly the San Gabriel Valley) continues with newcomer Shi Hai.
The name apparently means “sea world.” Hopefully no “blackfish” served here. 
I brought only a 100mm macro lens and so capturing the dining room was a challenge. It’s sort of SGV high style 2015....
February 1, 2015
Game of Thrones Season 5 Trailer
HBO was showing a nice long juicy Season 5 trailer on the big screen and it’s leaked to the internet.
This one is a good one, and certainly draws together the plot threads from books 4 and 5 in a more coherent and appealing way than the novels pitched, at least in summary. Interesting how, as usual, the show is more explicit about major currents than George R R is himself, for example the clearly implied allegiance of Varys (to Dany and “the realm”) and his sending Tyrion after her (which was...
January 30, 2015
Marcel Vigneron – Taking Epic Further
January 24, 2015,my wife and I hosteda very special fund-raising dinner at our house. And given our penchantfor details, things werebound to be off the charts epic.
I met Marcel Vigneron a year back at a 2009 Bordeaux dinner, and ever since havebeen looking for an excuse to have him cook at our house. For those of you who don’t know, Marcel wasthe original Executive Sous Chef at The Bazaar, and also cooked at Joel Robuchon. He’s been on numerous Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars shows and was th...
January 28, 2015
Japanese in China – Izakaya Akatora
Restaurant:Izakaya Akatora
Location:115 W Main St.Alhambra, CA 91801.(626) 943-7872
Date: January22, 2015
Cuisine:Japanese fusion
Rating:Tasty culinary mashup
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Us Hedonists are pals withMichael Cardenas and so when he opened this new Izakaya (Japanese for “there is beer here”) in our home turf (the San Gabriel Valley) we zipped right on out for a big dinner.
The pubby interior.
NV Jérôme Prévost La Closerie “Fac Simile” Les Beguines. AG 94+.Layers of delicately scented, perfumed fruit caress the pal...
January 26, 2015
Food as Art – Saison
Restaurant: Saison
Location:178 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94107.(415) 828-7990
Date: January17, 2015
Cuisine:Modern American
Rating:Awesome!
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Saison ishelmed by Joshua Skenes and began just a few short years ago (2009) as a popup. Wow, from popup to three michelin starsin just 5 years! AndI wanted to go even when it had only two, soheading up to San Francisco this month, visiting became an imperative.
Thankfully I have friends in the right places, because Saison is one hell of a reservatio...
January 23, 2015
Eating San Francisco – Zuni Cafe
Restaurant: Zuni Cafe
Location:1658 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.(415) 552-2522
Date: January16, 2015
Cuisine:Mediterranean
Rating:Tasty!
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Zuni is a bit of a San Francisco institution (in a recent sort of way).
The busy downstairs.
The current menu.
From my cellar: 2007 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses. Burghound 90.As would reasonably be expected, there is just more here in every dimension with a more complex and more elegant nose that is layered and very fresh and thi...
January 21, 2015
Food as Art – Atelier Crenn
Restaurant: Atelier Crenn
Location:3127 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94123.(415) 440-0460
Date: January15, 2015
Cuisine:Modernist
Rating:Awesome presentation and quite tasty
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I’ve wanted to go to Atelier Crenn for years now, as it’s not only an award winning Michelin 2 star San Francisco fine dining restaurant, but quite avant garde and modernist, which I very much enjoy.
Really the atelier part of the name is quite accurate, as this is very much an artisan place, and with a talented female f...
January 19, 2015
Pistola with a Bang
Location:8022 W 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 323.951.9800
Date: January14, 2015
Cuisine: Italian Steakhouse
Rating: Tasty good
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Tonight’s dinner is themed around 1990s grand cru Burgundy, both colors. Why exactly we took this to an Italian Steakhouse is anyone’s guess, but that didn’t matter — we had a blast.
1998 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Les Clos Saint-Hilaire. AG 95.Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is a 100% Pinot Noir Champagne made from a small, one hectare plot located o...
January 16, 2015
Madang 621- Beef++
Restaurant: Madang 621
Location:621 Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90005.(213) 384-2244
Date: January9, 2015
Cuisine:Korean BBQ
Rating:Beefy fun
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I haven’t actually been out to dedicated Korean BBQ in Korea town for quite a long time, at least not in the five years I’ve been photoing my food. So when it popped up as a dinner suggestion I consulted the recommendations of my ultra foodie (and Korean) friend Liz Lee.
Which brought us to Madang 621, located in the heart of K-Town. This elaborate mall(...
