Review: Vincenti Ristorante

Last night I had dinner with Jay and his parents at Vincenti Ristorante, on San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood. I had never even heard of this place and didn't know what to expect. Upon entering, I was impressed. The decor was clean, modern, and classy. We sat at a table in a more private back room, so it wasn't too loud.

The food was excellent. It was one of the best Italian meals I've had in LA. On the house, we all had an amuse bouche of half of a baby fig topped with micro greens and a dollop of high-quality goat cheese, and seasoned with balsamic vinegar. We ordered a bottle of Syrah (my favorite type of wine) which Jay's dad coincidentally chose because it sounded like my name :)

To start, I had a special appetizer of heirloom tomatoes with burrata. The burrata was of impeccable quality, and the tomatoes were perfectly seasoned with salt, pepper, and a light basil oil. (On a sidenote, burrata is my favorite cheese - it is simply divine. If you haven't tried it, you are truly missing out. According to Wikipedia, burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a unique soft texture. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. The name "burrata" means "buttered" in Italian.)

For my entree, I had filet of John Dory with smashed potatoes, black truffles, and crispy artichokes. It was fantastic. The fish was tender and juicy. The potatoes, artichokes, and black truffles combined perfectly with the fish to make a sensational palate of flavors and textures. I ate slowly so I could savor every bite! I was actually sad when it was gone. Finally, for dessert, I had warm molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato. It was the perfect end to a fabulous meal. And most importantly, I really enjoyed my company.

Review: Echigo

Echigo doesn't look like much from the outside. It is located on the second floor of a Westside LA strip mall, on Santa Monica Blvd near Bundy. Echigo's interior isn't very fancy, either - the decor is sparse and minimalist.

However, the food was truly delicious. Echigo served the best sushi I've had in LA in all of my three years here. The sushi was served on rice with a hint of vinegar. Every piece of fish was extremely fresh and was the perfect size.

I went there last Thursday night with Jay and a few of his friends from work. Little did I know that I wouldn't have any choice in ordering! We all got the Omakase, which I've had once before in Japan. My brother told me that it literally means "trust me", which makes sense - the Omakase comes with 9 or 10 courses of one piece of sushi per course, with an appetizer of sashimi to start. You don't get to choose any part of the menu - it depends on availability and the chef's choices.

The meal was perfect. It was like a carousel of melt-in-your-mouth, delicious, fresh fish. I even tried several types of fish that I had never had before. Unfortunately, I don't remember the names of anything... but I guess it doesn't really matter because the Omakase menu will always vary.

My only complaint was that the service was a bit too fast. That probably seems like an odd complaint... but I think it would've been nice to have a little more time between courses, in order to truly savor each piece of fish.