DineLA at Grace

DineLA Restaurant Week is upon us and if you haven't booked your reservations at one of the many participating restaurants, have a look here and try to squeeze in one or two or ten stops before the event ends next week. This is a prime opportunity for you to enjoy special prix-fixe menus at reduced prices at places you haven't yet tried or might have never considered. The restaurant list is quite extensive and there are probably a dozen or so restaurants that I'd like to try, but by far the one I was most interested in was Grace. A friend of a friend made dinner reservations for last Wednesday and kindly inviting me, so of course I ceased the opportunity to cross Grace off my DineLA list.

I arrived at Grace just past our 6:45pm reservation time and the place was relatively empty. Thanks to additional traffic from the Dodger's playoff game, it took some time for the others in the group to arrive, and we didn't get seated until about 7:30pm. Thankfully, Grace kept our table open despite the fact that diners were steadily filing in, so I'm very appreciative that the staff honored our "6:45pm" ressie. I'm not so certain that many high-end restaurants would have done the same. Nonetheless, we shuffled from the bar to the dining room and took our seats.

While waiting at the bar, a few of us ordered cocktails of choice. I was debating between straight scotch and the Not So Rusty Nail, and ending up going with the latter:


A regular Rusty Nail has Scotch and Drambui, but Grace's version replaces Drambui with Laubade Floc de Gascogne--a bittersweet white wine that nicely tamed the potent J&B Scotch whiskey. I believe the the chilled mini-carafe was overflow from the martini glass, though it had a stronger taste than the martini. Overall this was a wonderful and very fragrant--and very strong--cocktail. Highly recommended and probably one of the best pours I've had from a restaurant bar.

The restaurant itself is gorgeous. High ceilings, plush furnishings, dimly candle-lit rooms, and crisp white linens remind you that this the place for those special occasions with your friends and family. Well-dressed patrons and an inviting, bustling staff make for that typical high-end LA dining scene. We're seated at a 6-top in the back room and the DineLA menus are presented to us:


The printed menu was slightly different and more extensive that the online version, with additions such as bacon-wrapped rabbit and lobster soup, and--to my disappointment--an omission of the highly-regarded grilled octopus appetizer. I understand that some items are listed based on market availability, and that a restaurant like Grace isn't going to serve an item--particularly a fish--if it doesn't meet the chef's standards.

The DineLA menu has two price-level options--three courses for $44 or five for $60. Both options include one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert, with the five-course option adding an extra appetizer and entree. Linda--whom you might remember from this review--sat next to me and we both decided to split a three course and a five course meal for a total of eight courses. With that strategy we were able to enjoy two extra items, but now that I think about it, that was a rather excessive amount of food. Linda's friends--Daniel K., Brian, Roberto, and Mark--all go with the three-course option.

With the ordering completed, a serving of bread is brought to our plates along with salted creamy butter:


The bread was somewhat plain in taste, but that was easily remedied by the soft (almost warm) butter topped with a heaping amount of coarse salt. You know how much I love salted butter.


My first appetizer is brought to the table, Roasted Pumpkin & Sea Urchin Risotto:


Unfortunately, this was a miss and was in fact the weakest dish of the night. Heavy flavors from the cream completely drowned out the pasta, and I could taste very little of any pumpkin and barely a hint of the sea urchin. Linda takes half and agrees with me on the misfire, but nonetheless we finish the risotto in anticipation for a stronger second course.

My second appetizer arrives as does the first appetizer for everyone else. Sautéed La Belle Farms Foie Gras with grilled pineapple, brown butter brioche, black pepper ginger caramel:





The perfectly cooked foie gras was buttery soft and very rich in flavor. It paired well with the brioche whose sweetness nicely counteracted the savory flavors of the foie gras. And notice the plating--it's gorgeous.

Linda is presented with the Lobster Cavatelli with Maine lobster, cavatelli pasta, fava bean purée, and chanterelle mushrooms:


The chanterelles were fresh with plenty of snap to them, and the pasta was perfectly cooked al dente with just enough sauce to not overpower the taste. The dish could have used more lobster meat, but despite that fact this was a standout dish of our menu selections.

My first entree arrives and its the Grilled Tenderloin of Wild Boar with brussels sprouts, Yukon gold potato spaetzle, and violet mustard sauce.


An exotic take on the typical meat and potatoes dish, the boar was cooked medium rare and served over a manicured arrangement of Brussels sprouts and potatoes. I've tasted boar meat a few times and I remember it being tough and chewy, but that was not the case with Grace's version which was tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. Unfortunately, the mustard sauce was way too overpowering and nearly ruined the dish for me as it was simply far too pungent; I had to be careful to not mix the meat with the sauce. The Brussels sprouts and potato spaetzle, however, were delicious and paired nicely with the meat.


Time for another libation and so I order a Rosemary Peach Gimlet, which was a special drink listed on the DineLA menu:


Delicious...and strong! The Grace bartenders do not hold back with the spirits. Note the small chunk of fresh peach floating atop. Daniel K. , Brian, and Mark ordered the same drink but not everyone received the peach chunk. I'm just pointing out that fact.

My second entree arrives as does the first entree for everyone else. Here we have my Bacon Wrapped Saddle of Rabbit with wild rice, squash flan, roasted figs:


This was my favorite dish of the night and notice the generous portion. In fact all entrees were much larger than what we were expecting (I wish I had taken a picture of Daniel K.'s pork shank--it was the size of small car battery!) Tender rabbit meat wrapped in thick, smokey bacon proved to be a delicious experience in both taste and texture. The meat was so tender tender that I only needed a fork for cutting. I was getting so full at this point but I didn't care--I took longer breaks between bites and was eventually able to polish off two and a half pieces of bacon-wrapped goodness. I left the rest for Linda (I think she only took one piece). Oh but we're not done yet.

Linda's entree selection is the day boat scallops with aged goat cheese red wine risotto, chanterelle mushrooms, red wine reduction:


She neatly plates a few scallops for me with some of the risotto. Now I've had many a scallop but these were probably the largest scallops I have ever seen. They were very fresh and cooked nicely throughout from edge to center and then artfully presented with tasty risotto and more chanterelles. I actually liked this risotto more than the one I had for an appetizer.

I also had a few bites of the braised pork shank, which Daniel K. ordered, and while it was definitely fall-off-the-bone tender, I thought it was a bit dry. I'm surprised this wasn't served with a side of house-made BBQ sauce as that would helped with the dryness. The accompanying chorizo home fries were very satisfying and full of wonderful, savory flavors. Daniel K. really enjoyed the pork shank, and quite honestly that's all that mattered.

With the appetizers and entrees completed, it's time for some dessert. For me, the decision to go with the donuts was a no-brainer and so here they are, the flight of donuts with ice cream:


Now this was a different preparation that what was listed on the menu, as I believe the menu showed braised apples to go with the donuts. Said apples appear to have been replaced with additional donuts and another scoop of ice cream. As if I'm really going to have an issue with MORE donuts! As good as the donuts were, the ice cream was actually the best part of this dessert offering. It was intensely rich and creamy with lots of flavor.

Our other dessert shows up, the Sticky Toffee Pudding with brûléed bananas, toffee sauce, hazelnut gelato:


Quite honestly, I was so full at this point that I just don't know how I was able to try this, but try I did and I found this offering to be a bit underwhelming. The pudding was more like a sweet bread and tasted not much better than something I could pick up Ralph's on the way home. The gelato, however, was delicious but I wouldn't order this dessert on a return visit. Stick with the donuts.

The bill arrives sometime later and the price of my five-course meal--with supplemental charges for the foie gras, boar, and donuts--came out to $85 before tax and tip. The service was exceptional all around, and despite a mix-up with the bill, our experience was overall a first-rate and a memorable one. Plate settings were promptly replaced at all the right times, waters were continuously refilled, and if you asked for an additional clean plate, one would appear as if it were teleported from the kitchen.


While there were definitely some misses with the DineLA menu--namely the risotto and the bread pudding--the excellent offerings of the rabbit, lobster cavatelli, and foie gras more than made up for those shortfalls. The donuts were spectacular and a must-order, and I'll give a cautious recommendation for the pork shank and boar tenderloin; perhaps you can ask to have the mustard sauce served on the side. Lastly, Grace was absolutely packed on that Wednesday night and the vibe was very bustling but not at all loud. Book your table by October 16 and do it quickly as I'm sure the prime openings are going quickly.



Grace
7360 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036