Before I even begin sharing my experience at Palate, I have to admit that these are not the best photos of the food. The lighting condition was pretty difficult – dark with a pink hue and glow throughout the restaurant. So I was conflicted. Do I post about my experience despite the not so fantastic photos (which kills me internally)? Do I skip it over and just hope that everyone stumbles upon Palate? I decided it was better to share my experience rather than forego expressing my fondness for Palate.
If you did not know before, Taro and I actually discovered Palate at Gold Standard. It was one of the few places that stood out amongst the rest and I wanted to go to the actual restaurant to try the rest of their food. We were finally able to go on a Sunday night; prior to this dinner I actually checked out their menu online and was thrilled that they were constantly changing their menu and offering unique dishes on a weekly basis. So we hopped onto the 134 to venture out to Glendale.
Upon arriving at Palate, we discovered that on Sundays, it was a set menu. I was surprised at the cost of it – $35 per person – because that is pretty reasonable for a three-course prix fix. I especially thought it was a good value after dinner since the portions were quite generous. So on this particular Sunday, this is what the menu looked like:
Appetizer: Red Little Gem Salad/Yellow Beet/Blood Orange/Green Goddess Dressing
Main Course: Grilled Swordfish/Bloomsdale Spinach/New Potatoes/Fava Bean + Green Garlic Ralout or Lamb Porterhouse/Baby Turnips/Radicchio/Meyer Lemon + Olive Nage
Dessert: Brown Butter Betty/Creme Fraiche/ Strawberry + Rhubarb Compote
In addition to the dessert on the set menu, Palate has a staple dessert that you can choose from. So to begin with, I really enjoyed the appetizer salad. Ever since XVI, I have picked up an appreciation for beets. They really do add an extra touch and slight crunch to a salad and I especially liked having blood oranges mixed in with my greens. The portion was larger than I expected and I could not even finish my appetizer! It was especially hard to balance because we also ordered the Potted Lamb Mason Jar and Pickled Green Tomato/Mustard Seed/Savory. The Potted Lamb spread on toasted bread was delicious! It reminded me of pate and I was definitely savoring the flavor of the lamb. (Peanut enjoyed a taste later that night when I brought the rest home.) Our waiter suggested ordering the Pickled Green Tomatoes (I love tomatoes and pickles in general.) so it was a nice contrast with the tanginess of the tomatoes with the richness of the lamb.
As with all meals, by the time the entrees came, I felt pretty full. However, both the Lamb Porterhouse and Grilled Swordfish were great. (I love eating with another person just because you can get one of each.) Usually I am wary about ordering swordfish, but the fusion style of Palate really presented something different and interesting. Since I am already a fan of lamb, the porterhouse was a delight. Palate really does do something extra special with their food. Last, but not least, dessert. It was a nice balance with the chocolate and the Brown Butter Betty. And again, for $35 (not including the Mason Jar and Pickled Green Tomatoes), it was a great value.
Palate was definitely a good find and with the menu changing every week, you literally don’t know what to expect. Even if you do not want to go for dinner, they have some fun alternatives. On Tuesdays you can enjoy Cirque Du Fromage and then there is Offal Good Wednesdays. If none of the above suits your fancy, you can always have a glass of wine since it is A restaurant with a wine shop, a wine shop with a restaurant.
Stay tuned for photos from an Offal Good Wednesday!
I actually went to Church & State right before leaving for Japan and since I have returned from Japan, I have been furiously blogging and posting pictures from our trip. However, now I can return back to some of the places I visited before the trip and since then. I feel like I need to catch up on my life and also share the interesting and fun places I have been so fortunate to dine at.
I heard about Church & State via a friend through Facebook and then later approached Kris, my foodie friend/maid of honor/best friend since middle school, about it. She told me that she didn’t get a chance to go yet and really wanted to try it out. So we actually went the night before I left for Japan. I arrived at Church & State first and was fascinated with the location. First, the restaurant is situated in the National Biscuit Company Building, which was built in 1925. I loved the brick and the historical aspect of the building. In addition, the sun was setting and there was this beauty of the tranquility of Downtown Los Angeles on this quiet street. Cars were lined up, all parallel parked, the restaurant was on one side and an upscale apartment complex and bar was on the other, lampposts dipped down, and the backdrop of the sun was there. There was silent beauty and the lack of traffic, noise, and the busy feel associated with a city.
When Kris arrived, we sat down, only to come to the indecisive nature on what to order. There were a handful of dishes we wanted to try, and that did not include the daily menu written up on the blackboard. Whenever this happens, I initially feel overwhelmed and finally just say, Order whatever you feel like. I am pretty easy in that way – willing to try anything at least once. However, it can drive people mad and that day, I was responsible for picking at least one dish.
We finally settled on Mœlle de Bœuf – Roasted Marrow Bone, Loup de Mer -Sea Bass, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Red Flame and Thompson Seedless Grapes, and Bavette à la Bordelaise – Braised Beef Short Rib, Wild Mushrooms, and Red Wine Sauce. We figured with these three dishes, that would be enough to share and feel satisfied. After placing our order, though, an aroma filled the air and both of us looked around curiously at what it could possible be. A couple tables over and back had Escargots de Bourgogne – Snails Baked in Garlic and Parsley Butter – and at that point we had to get it as well. So at this point, we had way more than enough food for the two of us.
The Roasted Marrow Bone came out first and this was the first time I ever had it. I saw it on the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network and thought it was interesting while Taro, on the hand, found it mildly questionable. I figured that the best person to have it with was Kris and when I initially told her about wanting to try it, she was glad to since she really enjoys it. So it came out, and I spooned the marrow onto a piece of bread. My impression of it? Very flavorful and tasty! I think you have to initially get used to the texture of it – gelatin like – and after that, it is just a different warm spread that you can eat with bread. I enjoyed it enough to want to have it again; hopefully Taro will be open to experiencing it.
The Escargots de Bourgogne came out shortly after the Roasted Marrow Bone and I loved the presentation of it! It reminded me of Bouchon, but on a larger scale, and it looked like mini-potpies. I thought there was a good balance of snail, which frankly, was quite large, to the baked crust of the pastry. I have really come to enjoy escargots and am not sure where the appreciation of it came from, but it is definitely a treat to have them!
Our main dishes then came out and I was at the brink of feeling stuffed. The Braised Beef Short Rib was extremely tender and the wine sauce complimented well with the beef. The Sea Bass was equally as good and both of us were pleased by the food at Church & State. Again, it was another great night with my friend, Kris, who is always fun to hang out with and dine. There is always a lot of chatter, a glass of wine each, silence as we deconstruct the food and smile at the delightfulness of the dish, and friendship as we bond and continue to share our lives together.
Where to next? Palate. I told her how much I enjoyed it with Taro (Photos will be posted soon!) and we are planning on going for Offal Good Wednesday very soon.
Energetic. Full of life. Goofy. Silly. Fun. Loving. These are all words that pop into mind when I think of Lizet and her huge smile that is always on her face. Lizet is part of my extended family, cousin-in-law, cousin by marriage – we were trying to figure out how to describe our relationship and we came up with all of these, but eventually settled on the fact that her future daughter will probably call me auntie and Taro uncle. Regardless of the title and name, Lizet is family and I am excited that her and Rich are going to welcome a baby soon.
Lizet is going to be a wonderful mother. This is how I know. At one of the parties we had at our house, Lizet was sitting outside when a squirrel fell from the tree. She wanted to take care of the injured creature so Lizet walked inside and grabbed a handful of nuts to feed the squirrel. There was this innate desire to care for it. Most people probably would have left the squirrel alone and just completely disregarded it; Lizet didn’t. Even though the story itself does not have a happy ending (Sadly the squirrel was torn to pieces from neighborhood cats.), Lizet cared for an animal that most people would stay away from or shoo away. This is what a mother does – nurse, care for, love, and shelter a little being who is trying to understand and take part in the big, open world.
Lizet looked absolutely stunning at her shower. She was making jokes, laughing, and rubbing her belly. I also thought it was cute when she would scratch around her belly and tell us how she was hot and itchy; it seemed like a typical silly action made by Lizet with the recognizable smile on her face. You could feel the excitement in the warm, spring air from Lizet, her sister, and her mother as they talked about the new addition arriving in early July.
Lizet, congratulations again on your pregnancy and Taro and I look forward to welcoming a baby girl to the family! We are so excited for you and Rich and know that this baby girl is extra lucky to have you two as parents!
Audrey, Rich’s sister, threw an amazing baby shower for Lizet. Audrey gave Lizet two options for the type of food that she wanted and Lizet selected fried chicken. The fried chicken was amazing and made entirely from scratch! When I arrived to the house, Audrey was busy battering the chicken and frying it on the stove. On top of that, she made biscuits herself. It was a southern-style feast and people could not keep their eyes or hands away from the spectacular spread! Check out Audrey’s blog for details about her homemade chicken.
The lovely chef in the kitchen:
Dessert was cupcakes from Dots:
The first baby shower game was measuring Lizet’s belly. I love her stance; she was ready to be measured and according to her, anyone who guessed too large would have to immediately leave the premises.
For the second game, everyone had to draw their own version of Lizet’s future baby…but on top of their heads on a paper plate! Some were a bit abstract while some closely resembled a baby. There were a lot of laughs as Lizet went through each image. I especially like how Lizet’s sister drew a baby farting since Lizet’s nickname is Stinky.
I love the expression on Lizet’s face in these two pictures. The first one has her holding up cute yellow shorts while the second one shows a look of shock when she heard how many diapers a baby could potentially go through in one day.
Leave A Comment