la cachette (dineLA)

la cachette (dineLA)
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (23/143)
thank goodness for dineLA. we can go out for a nice meal without spending a fortune in these harsh economic times. traditional romance isn't my cup of tea, but i thought this resto has a nice ambiance and is very comfortable and unpretentious.

the amuse bouche that started our meal consisted of a sun-dried tomato with pesto rouille, a layer of olive tapenade atop a little piece of baked pastry. not sure if it was the olive or the tomato, but something was a little bitter, but otherwise, i enjoyed everything else in the combination.

for the first course, i had the compressed papaya with brandade & blinis which were more like little pancakes with a bit of cream on top. the subtly sweet and light papaya balanced out the salty, flavor rich brandade nicely, and the bit of starch from the blinis was good. my bf had the roasted bartlett pear w/ melted gorgonzola & baby arugula, sprinkled w/ pomegranate balsamic glaze. it was excellent. the sweet pear was perfect with the blue cheese and combined with the slightly bitter, slightly tart arugula, made for a tasty appetizer.

i was less impressed with the entrees than the appetizers, but the two we sampled were prepared well. i had the nieman ranch pork chop w/ apple chutney & mashed potatoes. some of the pork chop was a tad dry in parts, but i enjoyed the traditional preparation and flavors. the sweet chutney was a good complement. the other entree, the petrale sole w/ lemon emulsion, mushrooms & peas, was fine, although a little conventional. the lemon emulsion added flavor to a crisply fried, fresh piece of fish.

the desserts, which included the baba au rum and thin apple tart, were both delicious. the baba rum was a little sweet for my taste, but i thought it was done well, and my bf loved it. soft and rum-soaked with sweet sauce and sour bits of chopped pineapple. the delicate apple tart had a lovely flaky crust with super thin slivers of tart apple that was excellent with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

everything was tasty and surprisingly light for french food. my only complaint, if any, would be the lack of creativity in the entrees. i'd like to return to try their regular menu. the waitstaff were attentive and not overbearing. the chef came out to check on diners, which was nice. it seems like a great "date" place.