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DeathbedFood Dining, La Poubelle Style, in Hollywood
One of the absolute best things of having this blog is getting to visit restaurants I might normally miss. La Poubelle in Hollywood was one of those for me. Recently invited to sample their menu, I made the “trek” to Hollywood (yes, admittedly, I’m a lazy Westsider who embarrassingly does not venture out to Hollywood or the East Side much). Prior to going, however, I checked out their website and was pleased to see that Curtis Stone adores their coq au vin, a chicken dish that seems hard to find these days. Additionally, Kevin Eats wrote a glowing review of the food there in December. So, armed, we headed out …
The first thing I noticed about La Poubelle was its lush lighting. But even more than inviting than the warmly lit room was the service staff. Everyone from our waiter to random staff walking by and, especially, owner Francoise, everyone made us feel welcome and taken care of from beginning to end.
Established in 1969? Wow, you don’t see that every day in LA. We spoke extensively that evening with owner Francoise (daughter of founder Jacqueline) who said one of their keys to longevity is their continual focus on reinventing. Last year, they made a big step with that by hiring Executive Chef Johnny Zone (who was part of the opening team at Gordon Ramsay at The London and also worked at Nobu Los Angeles and Bouchon Beverly Hills – among others).
They’re also firmly committed to the local, sustainable sourcing. As with Urbano Pizza, La Poubelle’s commitment is written right on their menu:
We believe the highest quality meals come from the freshest local ingredients. We utilize organic, local, small farm produce and meats when possible. We use only sustainable seafood and our wines are all from eco-friendly vineyards.
I love that! More and more, I’m finding out that my favorite restaurants have this kind of commitment to sourcing and it should be no surprise. The finest chefs can’t do their craft justice unless they have that kind of product to work with.
The Chef sent a variety of tastings out, beginning with cocktails: Carrot Margarita (tequila, fresh squeezed carrot juice, cointreau and fresh lemon sour) and the Paper Plane (aperol, hendrick’s gin, fresh lemon sour and dehydrated lime). Both were lovely … I really liked the Carrot Margarita. Where has this been all my life? Or, better yet, where have I been?
Next was a patate pouf … essentially a gourmet Tater Tot on truffle steroids. A true truffle bomb! OK, not the technical definition but it accurately describes the sensation. These will be a must-order for me going forward there.
Oyster Shooters, classic French Bistro fare, with fresh herbs on crushed ice provided a smoooooth beginning for the meal.
The Bruschetta was one of the best I’ve had … it’s evident every ingredient was the freshest possible. I found several of their menu items, like this one, crossed over from French Bistro to Italian. Not an issue for me as I love both cuisines and applaud the marriage of the two.
The Cucumber Carpaccio was so pretty that I had a hard time digging in. It was green Modern Art.
I’m sure these would not be nutritionist-approved … “flash fried brussels sprout leaves“, white truffle oil, blistered capers and black truffle shavings? Still, anything with this much truffle is going to be approved in my book!
Frisee is not normally my favorite but when paired with poached eggs and bacon lardons? Yeah, it was lovely.
I fancy myself a Mac & Cheese Connoisseur and when they brought out a sampler of three varieties (regular, bacon and truffle), my night could have been complete at that point. Which was best? Tough call but I’d say a tie between Bacon and Truffle. Hmm, maybe they should make Bacon Truffle Mac & Cheese?
Again, more akin to with an Italian restaurant, we tasted the Tagliatelle a la Tomate which is made with a SIX HOUR marinara sauce, parmesan, red chili flakes and diver scallops. SIX HOUR marinara? That’s like what you’d get for Sunday Supper if you were lucky enough to grow up in an Italian family maybe. This pasta rocked.
Gnocchis aux Champignons (housemade gnocchi, wild chanterelle, hon shimeji, button mushroom, shallots, parmesan, cream, chives) … decadent and satisfying.
Curtis Stone deemed their Coq Au Vin to be the “Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network. So, of course, we had to try it. It’s organic chicken with market vegetables, thyme roasted potatoes and burgundy jus (marinated in Burgundy wine). I’m sure we don’t see it more often because it takes so much time to prepare. It’s not hard to see why Curtis loves it so much. I do, too, Curtis … wow, Curtis, we probably have a lot more in common I’m thinking?!
And, certainly not least, dessert. We were treated to a sample of three: Chocolate Molten Cake (mint creme anglaise, mint oil, vanilla gelato), Crepe Suzette (orange confit, grand marnier flambe) and Lavender Creme Brulee. All were incredible. We were seated next to two men from France. One came to La Poubelle upon recommendations from friends in France (a strong endorsement!) and was skeptical about ordering creme brulee as it’s never as good as his family’s version. This Lavender one surprised him, outdoing even the ones his family can make.
All told, La Poubelle more than delivered on every front that matters to a DeathbedFood dining experience: Food, Service, Ambiance. I’ll be back!