Epic 3.5-hour dinner at LudoBites

LudoBites has been on my restaurant hit list for some time, and last night my culinary wish was fulfilled and I am happy to say that all expectations were exceedingly met. For those not following the LA restaurant scene, LudoBites is a limited-time dinner collaboration between BreadBar restaurant in West Hollywood and famed chef Ludo Lefebvre--former executive chef at L'Orangerie and Bastide and a recent contestant on Top Chef Masters. Chef Ludo fabricates the nightly menu and helms the kitchen, while BreadBar serves as the vessel in which the diners can experience chef Ludo's myriad of French-bistro offerings. Think of it as going to a casual restaurant catered by a Michelin star chef.

Walk-ins are a scarce commodity at this cozy 3rd-street restaurant and so reservations are a must; I had secured our prime Saturday-evening 4-top several weeks ago, and I can tell you that as of this writing, the next two Friday-Saturday dinners are completely booked according to the OpenTable wizard.


Let's get started with the bread and butter basket.

The lavender-honey butter was sublime and paired nicely with the warm, rustic bread. This is a good start.

LudoBites is strictly BYOB with a $5 corkage fee and everyone had a bottle or two on their tables. We brought two reds -- an Argentinian malbec and a Paso Robles Cabernet Savignon.



First course is a creamy polenta with oxtail beef, cantal cheese and black truffle.

This was incredibly creamy and rich, with tender chunks of oxtail and a fragrant aroma that was as equally satisfying as the taste.


Liquefied chorizo, cantaloupe, cornichon:


The strong, pickled flavor of the cornichon (pictured in the center) balanced the saltiness of the liquefied chorizo. The chunks of cantaloupe were overpowered in taste but nonetheless provided some added texture to the soup. This was an overall fantastic dish, if a bit salty for our taste buds.


Lobster tart:

The buttery, flaky crust--dusted with Indian spices--complemented the rich lobster meat nicely. We all noted that the lobster's color resembled salmon, but I suppose that's the combination of the lobster meat, spices, and heavy cream.


Blood sausage cooked in a pan, served with potato puree.

This was probably one of the more adventurous dishes on the menu, and I was the only one in our group who liked it. The consistency is mousse-like, the flavor is rich, almost too rich until the potato puree balances everything. It tastes like a very savory meatloaf but with the mouth feel of chocolate pudding. Needless to say, I cleaned the plate with some bread.


Short rib with eggplant and goat cheese:



The meat was a little dry and the eggplant was too salty with one piece being overcooked. The goat cheese salad, however, was creamy, fresh, and very flavorful. The minuscule mushrooms were very tasty.



Grilled duck breast with ginger, capers, and leek salad:

This went quickly and for obvious reasons. The duck breast was cooked perfectly and exhibited a moist, deep, fatty flavor that was on par with the best duck offerings I've had. Ginger and capers have strong flavors but they teamed up well with the leek salad and made for an overall tasty salad. Very nice.

Cheese plate:

Left to right: Spanish blue cheese, date butter, apricot preserves, sheep's milk cheese. If you like stinky cheese then this blue cheese is for you. The date butter was sublime, the preserves were decent, while the sheep's milk cheese was soft and full of flavor.


This night's LudoBites menu contained three desserts: a creme fraiche panna cotta, a chocolate cupcake with foie gras mousse, and a peach with curry and marscapone. Being adventurous that night, we opted for the cupcake with foie gras mousse, candied bacon-almonds, and maple syrup.

This was a very interesting final course and I would rather order this as a savory appetizer than as a dessert. That said, I don't think I'd order it again, and would opt for the panna cotta and the peach. I'm glad I tried it, though, because the combination of flavors and ingredients is something I have never experienced, and I was happy to have tried something very different.


That concluded our dinner and it was one of the more enjoyable experiences I've had in recent times. Chef Ludo was seen working the crowd and even came out to chat with us for a few minutes. I took this opportunity to have him sign the menu for me:

This will soon be matted, framed, and mounted above the fireplace mantle next to our wedding photo. On second thought, the den might be a better choice.

LudoBites ends August 22 and I highly recommend you coordinate with a few friends and secure a reservation. The Friday/Saturday dinners appear to be booked but you can try calling BreadBar directly, or just make the extra effort to visiting during the week. Trust me, it'll be worth it.

Breadbar
8718 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA
90048