Despite attending the FoodDigger LudoBites 4.0 preview and visiting again on opening night, my appetite for LudoBites 4.0 was not yet satiated. After all, the menu has seen many changes in its seven-week run with additions (such as braised beef cheeks) and subtractions (such as the egg and potato mousseline with lobster) nearly every week. As such, I decided to visit LudoBites 4.0 once more at the end of its run to sample Chef Ludo's new dishes and to celebrate my recent graduation.
I was delighted to see that the warm baguette with honey-lavender butter and smoked lard ($4.00) had survived the entire LudoBites run. The salty, crusty bread is the perfect canvas for the sweet spreads. The honey-lavender butter was particularly sweet this visit, and I quickly ran out of bread trying to eat as much of it as I could.
Our second appetizer was the Santa Barbara prawn with avocado, passion fruit and cocktail sauce ($28.00). Although the name is straightfoward, the dish was actually full of surprises: the avocado was frosty, the cocktail sauce, smoky and the passion fruit, a powder. I thoroughly enjoyed the creativity and adventurousness of this dish.
If the number of laudatory blog posts and tweets (and happy TwitPics) are any indication, the crispy soft shell crab cone with mango, red spicy mayo and Corona granite ($19.00) has been one of the standout dishes of LudoBites 4.0. With this in mind, I brushed aside my lifelong boycott of crab because, apparently, LudoBites inspires a sense of adventure in my normally wimpy palate (Sidenote: Is it just me or is soft shell crab strange because you eat the whole thing?)
Although I avoid seafood (except shrimp) at all costs, if this is crab, then I love crab. The breading gave each bite a pleasant crunch, and the full-bodied red spicy mayo--reminiscent of the coating on slippery shrimp--made the dish feel both comforting and indulgent. This was the perfect introduction to crab.
J and I both also loved the Corona granite, which instantly made us wish we were lounging poolside with about 50 more of these little cups in a chilled glass (OK, mug).
New to the LudoBites 4.0 menu but not Ludo's fans are the "Peppites" of fried chicken with coconut polenta, grilled baby corn, bok choy and diablo sauce ($18.00) a.k.a. "LFC "(Ludo fried chicken) or simply "LudoBalls" (which is far more fun to say). Although J and I loved the incredibly tender, rosemary-flavored fried chicken and the accompanying crunchy veggies, part of us yearned for the greasier, down-and-dirty version with sweet and spicy dipping sauce from the LA Street Food Fest. We, however, definitely appreciated waiting several minutes for these rather than several hours as we did at the festival.
Our second entree was the rack of lamb with goat cheese, artichoke and mint--one of the chief reasons I had to return to LudoBites. Can anything that is roasted in its own fat be disappointing? Highly doubtful. Every bite of lamb was tender and rich, and the flavor was amplified by a nice layer of salt. The creamy goat cheese was also a highlight of the dish, and I had to stop myself from licking it off the plate.
Also accompanying the lamb was a silky potato mousseline. Although I enjoyed the potato mousseline with lobster from the first weeks of LudoBites, I did wish I could enjoy a heftier portion of the potato-y goodness. Wish granted!
Although, I was fairly full after our appetizers and main courses, dessert was a must, particularly because the strawberry, macaron, lemon-verbena meringue ($12.00) was the other reason for my return. With fresh strawberries, pillowy macarons and whipped cream, this dessert was the epitome of every synonym for "delicious" for this strawberry-obsessed, pink-loving blogger. I would be hard-pressed to think of a dessert that I could love more than this.
Evidence of our love for our dessert
Merci to the incredibly hard-working and talented Chef Ludo and his one-woman-army wife Krissy for another wonderful dinner! I hope that you can get some sleep once LudoBites 4.0 finishes its run.
LudoBites 4.0 @ Gram & Papa's
227 E. 9th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
www.ludolefebvre.com/ludo-bites/gram-papas
www.ludolefebvre.com/ludo-bites/gram-papas
4 comments: