A week of N’s, first N/naka then to Nightshade. Two female chefs, culinary greats and LA legends. Chef Mei Lin stands at the counter at her first flagship, adding finishing touches to all her plates, giving a final nod of approval before a servers whisk them to their rightful place.
Mei Lin has the best eyebrows I've ever seen. They're full but all the same length and they have a symmetrical arch that doesn't fall too angular, demarcated by the sharpest lines. Her cooking is probably just as precise.
Cocktails are a waste of money...Not here. Their mixologist is skilled and dare I say...interesting. I could have ten more of these No. 914 Mezcal I traded my No. 12 Gin for. The gin drink has fruity notes with rhubarb and sour plum, a tart that is gentle, not sharp, with a settling sake and neutralizing tonic to smooth out the edges. I'm impressed by the gin, but I prefer the sharper surprises from the green dream. The shishito infusion makes it peppery and sharp, and acid from the lime cuts the spice. Potent little circles of black garlic oil climb up your nose just enough to make you think.
Garlic then onion. Not the best for dates, but I'd never date anyone who doesn't eat garlic or onion. The Tom Yum Onion, fare for an Asian state fair, bathes in a seasoning that is strangely reminiscent for cool ranch Doritos. You're getting it for the coconut dip - it's creamy but ends things on a light and wholesome note.
This one is a smaller, lighter dish, the Baja Kanpachi in dashi with yuzu. Spoon up the citrus-water and drink with a springy slice of bright-and-buttery.
A side of Roasted Sunchokes suffices as a main. The artichoke-potato lovechild is creamy-soft, but the flavor takes on a nuttier note with an acid-alkaline mole. The deep-roasted strawberry notes are robust, perked up by a seedy granola crunch.
An iteration of Prawn Toast, a juicy shrimp conglomerate on a crispy toast that keeps its integrity despite stewing in an aromatic Cantonese curry.
Nashville hot chicken is nothing compared to this Szechuan Hot Quail. It burns and it hurts so good, a gamier and dark-meatier little bird that doesn't play chicken. Its savor clashes with red-hot breading to brew a perfect storm. A cushion of fluffy Japanese milk bread is full of drippings, and a side of house pickles are a break from the spice and the grease - the daikon will change your mind about pickles even if you hate them.
The Silkened Tofu mollifies the mouth like a burn-balm for the quail. It approximates the texture of a soy panna cotta, and chia seeds and green apple-sorrel add a fruity, forest-y, textured finish. It's an unexpected ending,one that doesn't sugar-load or over-sweeten but leaves you feeling less heavy and gross as you reluctantly get up to leave.
We knew Mei Lin was brilliant, but we didn't know what she'd do without Mike. Now that her career as a sous chef is no longer written in Ink, I love seeing her shine as her own chef, a top chef for sure. At least 4 stars for the food, 4.5 for the execution and creativity, 5 stars for the eyebrows.
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