Recently, I tried out Normandie Club - which is a newish bar that opened about six months ago in Korea Town - and now I'm hooked! When you first enter, you see a well-stocked bar to the left and a few banquettes and tables on the right. It is a bit dark, but in a nice intimate way. The staff is friendly and unpretentious and the crowd so far has been mellow and a bit hipster. Hopefully that won't change as this place gets more and more popular.
But the true star are the cocktails - expertly prepared and absolutely tasty. I especially enjoy sitting at the bar so I can watch the creations. Currently there is no food (boo), but a server told me that will likely change soon. I don't know how people can (or want to) drink without snacks.
On my first visit to the bar, I noticed a small restaurant a couple doors down. The entire room consisted of a small makeshift kitchen - visible from the sidewalk, a L-shaped counter, and a small team of dedicated chefs preparing food for the 10 customers seated around the counter. The menu posted at the window revealed an interesting prix fixe menu focused on seasonal vegetables. Intrigued, I went home and googled "Le Comptoir" and found out that it was a new restaurant of Chef Gary Menes (who previously worked at Patina, Melisse, French Laundry, among others). Every week the menu changes based on local produce, and in fact, it is basically vegetarian except for some seafood and meat supplements. There are 2 seatings every evening with about 10-12 seats each. I decided to book it for my husband's birthday dinner.
Fortunately, that turned out to be a very good call. The setting is casual and obviously intimate since you are seated elbow to elbow with the other diners. The best thing is that you literally watch them prepare your entire meal - about 6 courses of lovingly and carefully prepared dishes.
We had the following with a lovely wine pairing:
Amuse bouche - creme fraiche with flowers and baked dandelion leaves. Very refreshing and interesting. I was particularly astonished at how the herbacious leaves were complemented so well by the light cream.
Soup - potato leek with garlic, greek yogurt and crispy bread crumbs. This was absolutely lovely - the sweetness of the garlic and the decadent creaminess was nicely balanced with the crispy butteriness of the crumbs ... I'm not sure how they stayed so crispy immersed in the soup.
Vegetable and fruit plate - a beautiful display of bites of different vegetables and fruit (i.e., sweet potato, beet, onion, celery, pickled onion, carrot, crussel sprout, fennel, radish, etc.). The description may not be exciting but this was a clear standout. The chef clearly wanted to showcase each vegetable and its natural flavors, and yet they went together incredibly well.
Scallops with mushrooms and a grape sauce, with grape halves that were probably roasted to bring out their amazing sweetness. Very lovely dish.
Truffle pasta - nice and nutty, but this was the only dish I thought was not particularly amazing. That's not to say it was bad - just not very exciting.
Bean salad - very refreshing, which was a nice break between the scallop dish and the uber rich wagyu.
Japanese Wagyu on brown rice and cabbage. Also quite lovely (but I have to admit no wagyu I've ever tasted in the U.S. has come close to what you get in Japan). I was pretty full at this time so my husband devoured both our portions.
Sourdough donut with sour cream, berries etc. Wonderfully light.
The wines were well chosen and paired with each course very well. I think my favorite was the Domaine Les Cantates 2012 Vin de Savoie, France Phignin Bergeron Routine. It's rare to fine a white wine that is so dry with a lovely floral note with an incredibly smooth finish. I will have to see if K&L or Wally's carry this wine...
All in all - a wonderful culinary experience. So often I am disappointed by new restaurants in Los Angeles, especially when they have prix fixe menus. But this was absolutely lovely.
For both of us, with the additional supplements and wine pairings, it was approximately $400. Obviously not a cheap restaurant, but perfect for a special celebration. I would highly recommend this restaurant.
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