AOC - Los Angeles

I once read a book about heaven that describes it as being surrounded by all your worldly joys. It's more about the little things; your favorite ice cream shop is right down the street, for example. And your favorite flavor is never seasonal and never out.

Dinner in my heaven would look a lot like AOC. I'd eat it in this ivy-crawling, garden-glowing, breeze-blowing outdoor patio, under the warm glow of heat lamps. I would go for girl-dates weekly instead of monthly, and we'd catch up and gossip over carafes of wine without worrying about bedtimes or driving home.

My menu would be full of favorites, familiar luxury ingredients I can recognize like this Chicken Liver Crostini starter. Fresh frisee adds crunch to a powerhouse pancetta, a porky punch to a potent liver. The pate itself has the texture of velvet and silk, a thin spread that delivers concentrated iron-y. 

A cold Salad of marinated shrimp and scallops is a moist seafood jerky. Both have dense salinity and smoke, like they were dried in seawater before they hit the grill. I'm surprised by this flavor - it reminds me of dried goods from home in Dalian. 

The most heavenly dish is clearly the Black Cod. It emerges still sizzling, a buttery fish in butter over a creamy potato gratin that soothes the spice from a dash of red pepper. We made bets on how many sticks of butter they used - I'm guessing at least two, and I'm totally okay with that. In my heaven, all the scales are broken and you don't gain weight. 

A tender Braised Duck is sweetened by roasted strawberries, with sauteed onions for balance. I would have preferred the onions more cooked as the acid can overpower the strawberry, but I do like some creativity in my confit.

There has to be a pasta too, and in my heaven carbs don't count. This Gnocchi has the perfect elastic texture with a subtle sauce acting as a salt for the fava beans and a highlight for the proscuitto and pecorino. 

I'll have an endless supply of Grilled Half Artichoke, and garlic aioli is non-negotiable. AOC's iteration is exactly right - not too heavy so you can dip and indulge without feeling gross when you finish.

They even have a dessert Platter to cater to my indecision. The Butterscotch Pot de Creme is the creme de la creme, an unspeakable indulgence where sweet and salty crash. The Bittersweet Chocolate Torta is a rich delight with a drop of muscovado ice cream. They throw in some house-made confections as well: S'mores, say no more. I'm a sucker for a good toasted marshmallow. The dark chocolate sponge toffee finishes bitter, and the peanut butter cups are the best thing ever with a surprise-dollop of caramel in the bottom.

So many of my favorite foods at AOC. The execution is exquisite, and the quality is exceptional. I didn't see anything I haven't seen before, but at AOC, I saw most of it at its best.