356444 Wed Jan 03 00:27:48 -0800 2007 5 2 Los Angeles Area 0 2146864 Wanted to report on the splendid (!) New Years Eve dinner the Missus and I enjoyed at Josie (http://www.josierestaurant.com/ ). I have to say, for me this place is just about the perfect blend of innovation and comfort, and they consistently put out really excellent ingredients prepared with obvious skill, care, and thought. I also appreciate that they are unflinchingly polite and friendly, with none of the attitude one sometimes finds at other high-end LA establishments. The NYE dinner was a prix fix, four-course affair, with several choices available for each course. We started with an amuse of caviar and cauliflower puree, served hot in a shot glass and a tiny puff pastry stuffed with lobster and some sort of crunchy, herby vegetable. Both were excellent. In fact, the cauliflower/caviar amuse, which was rich and deliciously salty, was, I thought, one of the best dishes of the evening. For the first course, both of us ordered the Maine diver scallop, which was seared and served with a frisee salad and a Meyer lemon sauce. The flavors worked wonderfully together, and the scallop was huge, succulent, and perfectly cooked. I chose a venison ragu served over soft polenta with sauteed hedgehog mushrooms for the second course, which was good, but not as good as the ricotta agnolotti (sort a plump ravioli) with brown butter and sage that the Missus ordered. For mains, I got a mesquite grilled prime rib eye medallion with lobster Bearnaise. The lobster was okay, and the steak was good and cooked as ordered, but the char was kind of hard, and made me wish they'd given me a steak knife. Still, excellent flavors. Also, this dish was served with wonderful seared greens, and a big bowl of Josie's truffle fries, which are, seriously, one of the best things I've ever eaten. Hot, crisp, perfectly seasoned, and wonderfully flavored, I think these may just be the best french fries in the city. The Missus ordered the rack of lamb with a crushed pistachio crust, which was served with a potato onion tart and braised greens. The pistachio crust made for a nice, gentle crunch, and the lamb was juicy and flavorful. Also, the greens had a nice, soft, smokiness that made this dish really comforting. As an aside, neither of us ordered the elk chop with sweet potato puree and winter fruit frisee with grapes and persimmon, but it sounded great to both of us (albeit for different reasons). Desserts were a warm cinnamon apple Charlotte with cognac caramel sauce and a dollop of not-too-sweet whipped cream, which was extraordinary, and a chocolate mousse cake, which was not. The chocolate dessert was the one let-down of the evening; it had a really nice crispy/chewy crust, but the chocolate flavor was, I thought, just sort of bland. (I've been indulging in really good dark chocolate for the past year or so, and so maybe I'm just spoiled.) In contrast, the apple Charlotte was very, very good. Crisp, with a nice balance of acidity to sweetness, not too heavy on the cinnamon, and a perfect mix of crisp and soft textures. Really, really good. One nit is that, at some point during the meal, I used the men's room, and of course, washed my hands. Unfortunately, the soap provided had a fairly strong perfume, so, for the rest of the meal, I was smelling patchouli (or some such) instead of the wonderful ingredients Josie's chefs had so lovingly prepared. I wish more places paid attention to this detail; soap in good restaurants should be unscented, or at most, have a mild almond scent. Service throughout the evening was top notch, friendly and attentive without being intrusive. With a couple of glasses of champagne, and a very nice glass of Italian red, the bill came to about $350 before tip. We had an excellent celebratory meal, and I look forward to going back soon. Wed Jan 03 00:27:48 -0800 2007 10134 David Kahn 1 2147095 Nice report. Wed Jan 03 01:38:52 -0800 2007 2146864 10210 russkar 1 2147325 Very nice to hear that a good restaurant remains good on a holiday. Thank David and glad you enjoyed it. Wed Jan 03 03:06:38 -0800 2007 2146864 10099 JudiAU 1 2147937 im the same way about soap smell at restaurants, and sometimes if its to perfumy, ill just go with water... sorry to all you clean freaks! Wed Jan 03 10:16:07 -0800 2007 2146864 12923 modernist 1 2147938 oh yeah... good post! Wed Jan 03 10:16:25 -0800 2007 2146864 12923 modernist 1 2148517 Good report - and I love Josie's truffle fries as well. So far I've only gone there for their Wednesday $30-something Farmer's Prix-Fixe (often very delicious), and usually splitting an order of fries on top of that! ~AquaW http://la-oc-foodie.blogspot.com Wed Jan 03 16:35:11 -0800 2007 2146864 11949 AquaW