Buddy and I have an annual tradition of having our holiday feast at A.O.C. on 3rd Street. We finally got around to meeting there this week and it felt like Christmas all over again. I just love the place (and Buddy). Good food with a good friend, it's a recipe for a lovely evening.
We started with the Goat Cheese, Dried Figs and Saba, a creamy goat that we spread on the delicious bread. We ate that with the Assorted Fra'mani Salumi, two types, both good. It reminded Buddy of Italy. They sell it at most cheese shops around the city.
The Hamachi "Crudo", Avocado and Pomegranate- fab-u-lous!!!! The fish was so fresh, seasoned to perfection; the combination of the three worked marvelously. It was the star dish of the evening, just as good as the scallop and mango dish I had at The Bazaar.
The Sweetbreads, Sunchokes and Truffle Butter were cooked crispy to perfection. Buddy was in heaven. The Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Romesco, WOW! The down home portion had a full bodied, earthy taste. It went really well with the 2006 Flowers Wine.
By the time we finished our meal I was stuffed. We shared the Mexican Chocolate Pot de Creme with Caramel Cream and Spiced Almonds and were a bit disappointed. The chocolate was very light and the cream quite rich. After a couple tastes we stopped eating it. We'd decided we didn't want to waste the calories on it (as if we were counting calories).
OK, so here's the thing, ordering here is really important. I've been here a number of times and have tried some dishes I would not recommend. Those are the Fried Tetilla, Quince Paste and Romesco as well as the Arroz Negro with Squid and Saffron Aioli.
On the other hand, the Roasted Dates, Parmesan and Bacon is out of-this-world. We didn't order it this time because we already were ordering other pork dishes. I do highly recommend ordering it though. It is simply sublime.
Found this article useful? Mention Alli411 in your post, subscribe to our feed, link to us, or bookmark this site. Thanks for your support!
A.O.C.
8022 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 653-6359
3 comments:
Wow, those dishes you had look / sound great.
I always find it interesting when a restaurant does some dishes incredibly well, and others noticeably less so.
Here in Seattle, we have many restaurants with great seafood -- really fresh, seasonal, fish is a regular offering. And, I think this influences other restaurants to include a seafood main on their menu.
But, it's almost "forced" at some places here--their non-seafood menu might be really great, but their seafood dishes are so much less so.
There are actually pubs in Seattle that do better seafood then some of the otherwise great places!
just LOVE this place... haven't been back for nearly 2 years tho.. good to see they're still cooking strong!
Jay: You bring up a good point, having a good meal is also dependent on knowing how to order. For instance, fish at a steak house isn't the way to go.
Tony: Cooking really strong, and still have a great wine list.
Post a Comment