Moonshadows

When people ask me where to dine in Los Angeles, Moonshadows is one of the first recommendations I make.  Situated along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Moonshadows sits on the beach over looking the vast Pacific Ocean.  If you're looking for a romantic night out, or the quintessential Californian restaurant on the beach, look no further than Moonshadows.

For the first course, I dived into an heirloom tomato and burrata cheese salad with basil, aged balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.  The burrata cheese was creamy and silky - coupling perfectly with the acidity of the balsamic vinegar.  The basil added a hint of depth to the dish, making every bite as savory as the last.

Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata Cheese ($14)

For my main course, I preyed on an oven roasted lobster with sauteed spinach, mashed potatoes and drawn butter.  Inexperienced chefs make the mistake of over-cooking lobster until it is rubbery; Moonshadows, however, cooked it to perfection! The butter of the lobster paired well with the starch of the potatoes, whereas the spinach provided a clean wipe of the palette.  Seeing as how seafood is the star of the restaurant, I highly recommend ordering the lobster.

Oven Roasted Maine Lobster (Market Price)

Sharing this meal with the love of my life overlooking the sunset made this meal sweet enough, so we passed on dessert.  Many Los Angeles residents prefer Gladstone's for it's proximity to the city, but rest assured, Moonshadows is definitely worth the extra drive up the gleaming coast.  Is your mouth watering yet?

JiRaffe

One of the aspects that bothers me most about French restaurants is the fact that because its European, that somehow justifies charging American food goers sky high prices.  While I'm willing to pay more for farm fresh and innovative cuisine, I find it insulting that pretentious restaurants such as JiRaffe charge exuberant prices for their food.  The truth of the matter is the food was excellent...but does that warrant breaking the bank?

Roasted Pear Salad ($15)

My evening began with a sampling of a roasted pear salad and onion soup (not pictured here).  The salad was constructed with organic red and green leaf lettuces, hazelnuts, fourme d’ambert cheese and sherry hazelnut vinaigrette. I found the salad to be a tad  salty; however, it was very exquisite appetizer.  If the restaurant decreased the price to $10, I would order it again.

Angus Filet of Beef ($32)

For the main course, my partner enjoyed a steak topped with a cinnamon nutmeg butter, sauteed baby spinach, crispy pancetta, red flame grapes and madeira beef jus.  Again, it was delicious, but it did not measure to a top notch steak like Morton's or Ruth Chris. Charging $27 for this filet would have been much more appropriate.

Almond-Crusted Rainbow Trout ($26)

I savored an almond-crusted rainbow trout with sweet white corn, roasted red peppers, spinach, roasted cremini mushrooms, capers, and lemon-brown butter sauce.  I felt that this was the best dish we ate during our dinner given its taste, presentation and creativity.  I would order this dish again for $22.

Chocolate Truffle Cake ($10)

The most appropriately priced dish was the chocolate truffle cake with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate raspberry sauce.  The Eiffel tower wafer was an elegant touch to this savory morsel.

I would love to dine in this intimate restaurant again, but until I see the prices decrease, I will save my money for proper steakhouses.  For an average of $58 per person, I would suggest you do the same.

A-Frame

Culver City has become an LA hot spot.  With SONY Studios located in the heart of Culver City's downtown core, only the best restaurants manage to stay afloat while catering to the film industry elite.  While Culver Blvd. is a great area to peruse for wining and dining, I would like to point your attention to the new and upcoming restaurant row of Culver City: Washington Blvd.

Stationed by the corner of Centinela Ave., several restaurants have become the buzz of the town; most notably, The Outdoor Grill, Waterloo & City and Corner Door.  Today, I'm going to focus on A-Frame - a Korean inspired restaurant where sharing plates are encouraged and utensils are optional.

I came to A-Frame in a group of four people, which gave us the option of trying several dishes.  The first of which was kitchen fries: wedges of purple potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes with kimchi sour cream and sea salt.  I found this dish to be a balanced blend of sweet and salty, in addition to innovate.  I can see the chef's storyboard introducing a classic American side dish with a Korean inspired potato choice and dipping sauce.  I would definitely order this dish again.

Kitchen Fries ($7)

The next dish my comrades and I shared was the heirloom pickles.  I'm a huge fan of pickles, and found this dish lacked adequate "pickling".  I felt that the vegetables needed to be soaked in vinegar and salt for longer; however, my friends felt that they were salty enough to enjoy in large quantities.  I would give this dish a rating of a B, giving you the option to decide if its worth ordering or not.

Heirloom Pickles ($7)

In an effort to eat something a bit healthier, our next course was the veggie nest.  True to its name, the veggie nest has brussel sprouts, kale, mustard greens, root vegetables, cauliflower, mushrooms, toasted bread crumbs, spicy carrot vinaigrette and celery root puree.  On the surface, it doesn't sound unappealing if you enjoy being a herbivore, but I found this dish to be very unappetizing.  I don't know if it was the vinaigrette or the puree, but it tasted bitter and creamy...in my opinion, an unsavory combination.  In addition, the presentation is very off-putting, almost reminiscing bird regurgitation.  In all honesty, its like an overexposed photo: the vision is there, but the product lacks finesse. This was the only dish during my dining experience that I truly disliked, and would not suggest ordering.  

The Veggie Nest ($15)

Last but not least, we ordered beer can chicken.  This was definitely our favorite dish overall.  The beer surprisingly keeps the chicken very moist, while infusing a subtle flavor of hops and ale.  I particularly enjoyed the crispy skin rubbed in herbs.  Definitely worth ordering again, and eating in slow motion.

Beer Can Chicken ($22)

I felt A-Frame was an excellent choice for dinner for groups.  I enjoyed most of the dishes, and feel that the veggie nest could improve with some modifications on the presentation and sauce.  Consider making A-Frame your new rendezvouz spot, avoiding the crowds from Culver Blvd.  Watch out Costco...people have a new reason to shimmy down to an animated Washington Blvd.!!!

Website: http://aframela.com/new/