Birthday Dinner

For my birthday, the hubs took me on a dinner date. The location was a surprise for me. I didn't know where he was taking me until we pulled up to the SLS Hotel and saw neon lights overhead announcing the entrance for The Bazaar.

To tell you the truth, I had never heard of this place but it quickly won a spot in my list of favorite dining experiences in Los Angeles. The menu offers a modern twist on Spanish tapas. Actually, José Andrés (chef/owner), trained under Ferran Adria in his early days. If this was a taste of what to except for our experience at El Bulli in a couple months (guess who got reservations!) then we will certainly not be disappointed.

Naturally, we started with cocktails.

I ordered the LN2 caipirinha. After ordering, a cart was scooted over to our table so we can watch as the bartender poured liquid nitrogen into a cachaça, lime juice, and sugar mixture. After the liquid nitrogen fog subsided, he poured the half frozen concoction into a glass. I've gotta say it was one of the best caipirinhas I've ever had.

Husband ordered the Liquid Cherry Manhattan. That looks like a real cherry, but it's actually a cherry spherification. As soon as you bite it, it explodes with cherry flavor.

Dinner followed with an assortment of tapas:

Quesos: Manchego (sheep), Murcia al vino (goat), and La Serena (sheep). I'm not supposed to eat this stuff but sometimes I just can't resist, damn it! Hey you gotta live a little, right?

Tuna ceviche and avocado roll. This was so light and refreshing. When is any ceviche ever bad?

Baby beets salad. Beets are our current obsession. The citrus/pistachio/Sherry dressing just made them that much better.

Persimmon and seawood salad. It was an interesting combination, but it worked in the most delicious way.

Sautéed wild mushrooms. This was a pretty safe plate. Nothing crazy going on here. I love me some mushrooms, but these were almost a liiitle bit too salty. Good, nonethless, and we ate them up.

Paddlefish caviar cones. A light cauliflower cream was stuffed inside of the cones. These were yummy!

Buñuelos: codfish fritters with a honey aioli. So, these were good but a bit on the heavy side. They sort of reminded me of fish sticks. They were our least favorite part of our meal, but at least we tried 'em.

Cotton candy foie gras. So goood! Our server recommended that we eat them in one bite for the best effect. At first you get this sweet sensation in your mouth. It slowly melts away as you taste the foie gras hidden in the center. I'm not sure what was in foie gras, but there was something crunchy that added to the texture. It was almost like dessert.

After dinner we of course opted for real dessert. We were moved over to the Patisserie, their whimsical dessert shop. We admired their selection of perfectly prepared confections. Everything seemed too pretty to eat.

We decided on the Apples Carlota: bread pudding with saffron sauce, and a handful of cookies. Yums!

The Bazaar was all types of delicious and so much fun. From the gorgeous decor to the food presentation - we loved it all. The husband knows me all too well. It was the perfect birthday dinner.