Archive for April 2017
We planned to arrive in time for “cruffins” the cross between a muffin and croissant, because why settle for one when a combo will work? The decision to get to Mr. Holmes Bakehouse in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles early was based on my brother’s experience in San Francisco. There, it’s not unusual for lines to wrap around the block.
According to the lovely person behind the counter, the LA cruffins don’t even come out of the oven until 9 a.m. — unlike their northern California counterparts where they’re history before 8 a.m. “I think people like to sleep-in here,” she said by way of explanation.
Although the cruffin remains a mystery to me, I wasn’t disappointed by the pastries we sampled.
The California Croissant and the blue cheese bacon danish were our savory choices. The California featured smoked salmon, nori and wasabi all encased in a buttery, flakey croissant. It was a baker’s version of a sushi roll – it even came with a small packet of soy sauce.
I’m a fan of bacon and bleu cheese, the addition of diced dates made me even happier.
The Matcha croissant, featuring Matcha green tea, was a new-to-me flavor. The churro croissant featured another spin on familiar goodies: cinnamon with dulce de leche filling. It’s a surprise that the cookie dough croissant, filled with cookie dough mousse, was not overwhelmingly sweet.
The pastries we had were impressive, and now I know I can sleep longer the next time I go to Mr. Holmes.
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
111 S. Ave. 59
Los Angeles, CA
Reservations at the highly-rated Bestia in industrial Los Angeles are hard to snare. Although unable to reserve a table, we did, nonetheless, get two seats at the chef’s counter. (Thanks to my brother.)
Some people might not have appreciated the view. However, we were thrilled to have our line of vision occupied by the well-orchestrated crew preparing colorful, creative salads. Interestingly, we didn’t begin our meal with a salad. We ordered one later.
Our well-versed server suggested sharing several small plates. His subtle nod of approval when we decided on the crab crostino suggested we were off to a great start. Ordinarily, squid ink aoili, crab and Thai basil might vie as the leading flavor. Instead they all win.
I can’t resist bone marrow. It’s served here with spinach gnocchetti that we scraped it into.
Next, agnolotti, one of six pasta offerings; house-made, of course. The mini ravioli-like “parcels” were light and savory. Coated with brown butter and filled with braised oxtail, it was silky and surprisingly light. Toasted pistachios and currants added texture and sweetness.
Finally, the chopped salad, a combination of Brussels sprouts, endive, mint, salami, and fried lentils — all thinly sliced, er chopped.
We had to have dessert. Really! Imagine bananas Foster with peanut butter ice cream. I couldn’t. The ingredients, only a playful mind could conjure, was childlike in the best possible way: fun, crunchy, salty and sweet. The ice cream is made in-house.
Bestia is in a reclaimed warehouse. It’s loud, lively and its accolades are well deserved. I can’t wait to return.
Bestia
Five Plates
2121 7th Place
Los Angeles
Somebody get Nathan Hill an editor! The author of The Nix is creative, daring and has a good – no excellent – story to tell. The problem is that it’s about 250 pages too long, including an 11-page sentence. Really?!
Moving back an fourth between a tumultuous Chicago in 1968 just before the Democratic national convention and a calmer 2011, the novel ‘s focus is on the relationship between Samuel Andresen-Anderson and his estranged mother, Faye. It’s been decades since he last saw her. When Samuel was a child, Faye abandoned him and her husband.
Samuel teaches literature at a Chicago university. His heart isn’t in his work; his students are neither inspired, nor inspiring. After hours, on his faculty computer, he plays an immersive video game. He is also 10 years behind on a book that he’s been contracted to write. Samuel is a likeable guy and it’s painful to consider him a loser. But.
Hill is at his best in his descriptions of Samuel’s childhood, before his mother left. It’s vivid, engaging and explains so much about this character. Equally engrossing are the sections about Faye’s youth in a rural town in Iowa.
Less appealing are some of the other characters and situations, if only because the depth of their portrayal is extraneous. Take the sentence that is a chapter unto itself. It chronicles the symptom-by-symptom, reaction-by-reaction experience of a compulsive gamer as his body shuts down.
Ultimately, all the reader, like Samuel, wants is to understand why Faye left.
The Nix
Almost Four Bookmarks
Alfred A. Knopf, 2016
620 pages
In the Woods by Tana French is a double mystery. The first occurred in the mid-1980s and the second takes place 20 years later. There are numerous common threads, not the least of which is Adam Robert Ryan, the main character.
Ryan is also the narrator. His tone is engaging, self-deprecating and intelligent. Known as Rob, he’s a detective in Dublin’s Murder Squad. He and his partner, Cassie Maddox, work to solve the murder of 12-year-old Katy Devlin, whose body is found in the same general area where three pre-teens went missing all those years ago. One was Ryan who went by his first name, Adam, and was found covered in blood with no recollection of what happened to him or his friends.
Are the disappearance and murder related? Will Ryan’s memory be jarred? Should he even be involved in the more recent investigation? These questions drive the well-paced novel; the characters make it an interesting and intense journey. French provides plenty of suspects and plot twists. The result is a richly nuanced suspenseful novel.
Only Maddox knows of Ryan’s past. The two are close friends; they’re like siblings in their banter and knowledge of each other. As partners on the case they complement each other in their skills, thought processes and a shared, ironic, disrespect of authority – at least when it comes to their superintendent.
Anyone looking for resolution to both mysteries may be disappointed. This doesn’t necessarily require a spoiler alert, but it should add to the intrigue.
In the Woods
Four-and-half Bookmarks
Viking, 2007
429 pages
The Blue Page Special 