Professor Gourmand — June 2024

Financial issues. Three restaurants, two twice, one of those, new.

Redbird, of course, on May 31! I started with a drink called the Preakness — Bulliet Rye, sweet vermouth, benedictine, bitters, orange essence, and the avocado salad — little gem lettuces, smoked bacon, and a buttermilk bleu cheese vinaigrette. A perfect pairing. I had brought a bottle from home, the 2019 Amador County Zinfandel by F. Stephen Millier to go with my entrée, but everyone wanted a shot at it after Castro decanted most of the bottle. First, Castro and Maggie, then I sent a glass to Neil who was dining at the other end of the bar. Neil liked it and thanked me. Then I ordered the Ricotta Cavatelli with wild boar sugo, marjoram, and fiore sardo. The wine? Sheer bliss. Chris was really pleased with it too, as was Ray. Finally, the one dessert I had not had yet — the cherry pie using Murray farm cherries, almond crumbs and vanilla ice cream. The wine worked with that too. The experiment now has its imprimatur. Of COURSE, I ubered home.

Sunday afternoon I finally took myself to Saltie Girl, a Boston seafood restaurant that opened in West Hollywood. I sat down at the inner end of the left hand side of the bar and had three menus put in front of me — the brunch menu, the raw bar menu, and a booklet with the beverage list and the tinned fish -and I selected the 2022 Domaine Pichon Le Peu de la Meurette Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley to accompany the stunning New England Clam Chowder with marble potatoes, celery and house-cured bacon. Before that, I ordered a really good Maine…