So I’m not sure how most of Dine Out LA passed me by without much notice. I had no idea it started on October 5th and ended on October 16th! Not great marketing for it this year, I must say. So I was pleasantly surprised when Mike gave us a call and asked if we wanted to join him and Mariellen at one of the participating restaurants on the last night, Friday, October 16th. The hard part was deciding where we wanted to go.
We agreed that we wanted to keep it downtown, as there are still plenty of restaurants that the four of us had not yet been. Mariellen’s vote was for Roy’s and Mike’s vote was for Water Grill. I was torn. I’ve been wanting to go to Water Grill for some time now, especially when I heard they’ve been having Lobster Family Dinners on Sunday nights (check out: http://www.foodgps.com/water-grill-sunday-lobster-clam-bake/). But I’ve also been wanting to go to Roy’s for a couple of years now – since my friend and former roommate Nina used to rave about the place. She worked downtown LA and used to go to Roy’s for lunch, even though it was easily $20 – which is a bit steep for an everyday lunch. But then again, I don’t think she considered Roy’s an “everyday lunch”. In addition, Roy Yamaguchi was on Top Chef Masters this past season and I was pretty impressed with his skills (even though he didn’t win).
We ended up deciding on Roy’s and headed over there about 7pm on Friday night. It was a nice 15 minute walk from our place and it was a BEAUTIFUL night. We were promptly seated and our three bottles of wine were greeted warmly, as Roy’s decided to extend their summer practice of waiving the corkage fee (big plus in my book – too bad that is not just normal practice). Next we reviewed the Dine Out LA prix fixe menu, each decided on our appetizer, entree and dessert and then settled into our first freshly poured glasses of wine.
Before I forget let me just mention, the service at Roy’s was excellent! Fine dining at its best, without feeling stuffy or overbearing. We never had a dirty plate, our silverware and chopsticks were replaced with each course and our water and wine glasses were refreshed throughout. The waitstaff were all very friendly and accommodating, which added to our overall experience.
On to the important stuff – the food:
- Appetizers: included Thai Spiced Shumai Meatballs (pleasantly yummy) and Kobe Beef Carpaccio. The carpaccio was superb, with arugula and pear salad and a horseradish creme fraich. A really great start, so we were all looking forward to what was next.
- Entrees: Peppercorn Crusted Salmon – perfectly cooked; Sirloin with Cauliflower Gratin and a crisp, tasty potato croquette; Grilled Shrimp with Butternut Squash Risotto – with a buttery overall texture; and the crown jewel of the night – the Braised Beef Short Rib, which was “fall apart the minute your fork touches it” tender and served with delightful, creamy mashed potatoes and broccolini.
- Dessert – which was reason alone to completely justify the choice to go to Roy’s: a Pumpkin Mouse that I would describe like a lighter, fluffier and more delicious version of pumpkin pie, and then there was Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle – the title probably gives you a clue, but this was by far the best chocolate souffle I’ve had EVER! I will go back to Roy’s just for the souffle, and I’m not even a dessert person.
Here’s a few shots of dessert (below). I’m not sure how we managed to miss taking pics of any other part of dinner, but it just didn’t happen. Don’t you just love the shot of Mariellen hamming it up for the camera?
There was enough on the regular menu to intrigue me as well, so I envision a return visit at some point in the future. It will be tough though – as we have other places to try first and then of course the favorites which are always in rotation. Stay tuned as future posts will cover those “old standbys”.
http://www.roysrestaurant.com/
Nikki's Nibbles 