Jose Andres hails from Spain and is mostly based in Washington DC. In 2008 he opened The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in LA and has been going strong since the doors opened. When we arrived, we accidentally walked into the SLS hotel area and it is bustling with a high end well to do scene. Beautiful people emerging from beautiful cars lined the sidewalks going into the Hotel and Restaurant. You could set up a chair on the side and spend hours watching the people.
We got into the restaurant with about 10 minutes till our reservation. With time to kill we walked around to check out the scene. To the right were glass cases filled with anything from Stuffed Bears to Baccarat Glass. Everything in this area is for sale. The coolest thing about this area is while your looking around shopping or window Shopping as it was for us, there are tables for two or four people set up all over. So you could be looking at a set of dishes for sale and a couple is next to the display having dessert. They are both part of the scene and watching the scene.
We checked in and were advised our table was not ready yet and we should wait in the bar. I didn't need an excuse to get a drink and people watch, so we went to the back of the bar. The bar mise-on-place had some fun things at the bartender's disposal to make the most intricate libation. The item that caught my eye were the Jalapeño and Serrano peppers. I mentioned to the bartender that I love peppers and Vodka. She proceeded to make me a drink that I hope to enjoy back home. She muddled sliced Jalapeños and sliced cucumbers in glass. After they were good and macerated, she added Vodka, lime juice and simple syrup. put it all in another glass with ice and shook it all up. Strained it in a glass of ice and topped it off with a splash of club soda. Really Great drink.
We were seated towards the back of the restaurant so we got to pass lots of tables and saw lots of great food. The decor is really cool and every table and chair is different. It's set up like your seated in a living room of a house. Our chairs were so comfortable. If they didn't have the pillow behind you, you would be forced to sit back and sink into them. Our server explained to us that the restaurant is all Tapas style so we were encouraged to share. Not an issue with me at all. She explained that some of the dishes were priced per piece and those we were not to share so if you wanted one each, you had to order two. Two of our dishes were per piece and she was right.
What I loved most about the experience is that it was a non rushed one. We ordered our dishes a few at a time. I love that. It doesn't make you committed at the beginning of the meal and it gives you the opportunity to see what others are ordering around you.
We started with the Olives, both modern and traditional, Jicama wrapped Guacamole and Cotton Candy Foie Gras.
The Olives were a very popular dish in the restaurant as well as at our table. They come two ways. The traditional olives are split, pitted and stuffed with anchovies and topped with Basil. Olives in general are full of flavor to begin with, but the addition of the Anchovies added a twist to this normally salty bite. It was served in small fish tin as well and held together with and easy to grab toothpick.
So as you can guess, this was the traditional version of the dish. The modern version is really wild. They take the olive, pit it and liquefy it. Then the way they described it to us, the drop tablespoon of the liquid into a calcium bath that makes a gelatin like coating around the briny liquid. So when it is served to you, you see a very elegant looking green sphere that looks very much like an olive. Served on small spoons these morsels are meant to be eaten with the spoon. Picture a water balloon but the balloon is made of a softer geletin like substance that would resemble a soft capsule you'd find in a vitamin E pill. But it's much more pliable. when it bursts in your mouth, it's as if a small water balloon as exploded and the liquid olive spreads all over your mouth allowing all your tongue senses to be bathed in olive flavor. The gelatin dissolves as soon as it bursts. Exciting in both experience and flavor.
Our next starter was the Jicama wrapped Guacamole. When the dish comes, the plate looks so good you don't want eat it. 5 elegantly wrapped presents sit on a plate. The Jicama is thinly sliced and topped with creamy guacamole mixed with ginger, cucumber, mint and corn chips. Yes, corn chips. The first surprise was when you look at it, you think the Jicama is going to be crisp but it's actually very soft. The texture is both soft and crunchy as the corn chips adds a great crunchy contrast to the smooth guacamole.
Next came the cheese plate. We ordered three but accidentally got two of the same and she brought us the third that we were looking for. The cheese that we got two servings of was the Manchego. I know. Shame we got two of those. The Sheep's milk cheese was firm and buttery. Idiazabal is also a sheep's milk cheese and is very similar to the Manchego with a smoky flavor. The last one that was left out, and also left out of photos was the Valdeon. It is a mix of Cow and Goat milk cheese that is a very strong Blue Cheese.
The best part about the Cheese plate which as you can see is served with nuts and quince paste, is that it is also served with Tomato bread. I took a class on Spanish cooking last year at the Culinary Institute of America. The instructor talked a lot about this tomato bread. Its amazing that something so simple could taste so good. It's literally toasted crusty bread with fresh tomato spread on it. I'm told that this bread is very commonly served at breakfast but is also eaten at many different times in the day with other dishes. As is the case with us for the Cheese plate. The tomato is skinned and macerated but not to a puree. It is then spread onto the toasted bread. Again, something so simple. I was eating this alone without the cheese and could eat an entire baguette this way.
The dishes just keep on coming. This is why I really enjoy Tapas. Lots of little bites to try and share and many are so different from the next. Our next dish was called Japanese Taco. cooked eel sat upon thinly sliced cucumber that acted like the taco shell. It had wasabi to add more Japanese flavor but ground up Chicharron on top to add crunch and a salty flavor. For those of you who don't know what Chicharron is, it's pork rinds.
Three vegetable dishes came next. Carrot Fritters laid in a pistachio sauce came first. The carrot fritters has a sweetness to it that came from apricots that were mixed in with the batter. Keeping with another Japanese theme, Asparagus tempura was an other vegetable dish. Instead of salt or ponzu that comes with traditional tempura, Romesco sauce was served. This tomato based sauced was slightly peppery and went really great with the asparagus.
The third and final vegetable was one that took a bit of pushing on my part to get Roger to accept. Beets have been a favorite of mine for the past few years and I always get a dish with them when I see it on the menu. Roger has only been introduced to beets of the canned variety. While there are some canned versions that are good, fresh is always best. These small tri color beets were served with grapefruit selections, pistachios and goat cheese. While Roger was skeptical when the dish arrived, he enjoyed the dish as much as I did. Again, sweet and salty come into play here with a little sour from the grapefruit.
Our final dish is a specialty of the house. Jose Andres' "Philly Cheesesteak". Air bread is served with Cheddar cheese and thinly sliced Wagyu beef is topped above the bread. When we first looked, it was like nothing we have seen before. Where was the cheese? As you bit into it, the football shaped bread is hollow and layered on the bottom is melted sharp cheddar cheese. This dish was a bit messy as the cheese is hot and melted inside. But so delicious. There was some miscommunication as after we paid the bill, another two of these came out. when the server brought them to us, we said we didn't order more and have just paid. He said, do you want them anyway? Who are we to turn down another order of these unique dishes.
This restaurant is not for dinner. It is for an evening. We got there at 7:30 and left at 11:00. If we both, mainly me, weren't so tired, we would have stayed for 2-3 more hours. We left very satisfied. Most people would have tried the desserts and we had thought about finding one of Rogers dessert trucks but it was just too late.
If you would like to follow Roger on Twitter to hear about all things happening in LA with food trucks and anything else that is on his mind, follow him here: http://twitter.com/#!/roger_meyers I think that is the link.
If you have the chance to go to any of Jose Andres' restaurants, I highly suggest it. I would love to try more of them in Washington DC.
The Bazaar is located on 465 La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048. 310-246-5555 and online at http://www.thebazaar.com/
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