So I was too busy partying and driving down to Orange County to post anything yesterday. But I did eat a lot, and that's one of my favorite
activities. For lunch I went to
Opah which is part of a small restaurant chain in Orange County. I chose this place because of proximity to my lunching companions as well as the
Gauginesque image on the website. The food was pretty eh. It was really greasy and they used a lot of heavy sauces to mask mistakes. But the food was presented beautifully, which kind of made it taste better. But also, the portions were huge and out of control. Do I really need a pound of fries with my
Kobe burger? Probably not, this dish would have been better complemented by some micro greens in a
vinaigrette. Oh well, I was the one that ordered it...
For dinner, my husband took me to
Cliff's Edge in Silver Lake. That was an amazing meal and a super cool restaurant. They have outdoor seating that surrounds a huge, centuries old, ficus tree. It's one of those magical romantic restaurants that feels warm and relaxing with twinkling lights everywhere. I can't wait to go back.
We started our meal with a blood orange salad with prosciutto and roasted golden beets. We paired this with a dry rose. It was a nice bright start to the meal. Then I had a wonderful
fillet with
Gorgonzola and a red wine reduction. On the menu it was listed to come with garlic mashed potatoes, but instead was served with a layered potato gratin, which my husband kept sneaking. It was
delish. He had a seared pork chop with barley risotto, which was the star of that dish. We paired that course with a zinfandel, which was perfect for my dish but a little strong paired with the simpleness of the pork and barley, an
oaky white wine might have been better. We sat and savored our dishes for a while (and stargazed as Oliver Stone and his wife sat down.) We finished off our evening with a pear and apple cobbler drenched in buttery caramel and a few espressos. So good.
As a side note, my birthday was so fun. After dinner we went to see The Little Death, which is a band our friend Laura sings in, our other friend Daron plays the guitar, and
Moby plays the bass. It was a fun show for stargazing too. Heather Graham was there, although i wondered to myself
where she's been hiding? But Sasha Baron Cohen was there and that was a fun star sighting.
Anyways, it was a good night all together, and if you have a chance to go to the cliff's Edge, do it. As for
Opah, I will recommend it as well, but I think they may do better on their lighter dishes.
Happy eating, all!
So what's in this dressing that makes it soooo great? It's a secret recipe that no one knows. Some people say garlic salt and butter. I swear there's some anchovy paste in there. But there's some congealed looking stuff that floats in it and you can see it on the side of the bottle; I know it sounds unappetizing, but it's amazing.
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