valentine dinner at the bazaar

hilly & philly cheesesteak @ the bazaar
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (27/143)
a homophonetic and conceptual play on words, the bazaar is not only delightfully strange, thanks in part to philippe stark's eclectic vision but a cornucopia of taste, texture, smell & form created by jose andre, student of ferran adria (famed chef of el bulli in spain) & passionate chef of pbs' "made in spain".

we arrived early to take in the details of moss, where you'll find an assortment of curious, sometimes beautiful, designed objects elevated in stature by their placement in glass vitrines more history museum than "gift" store, a high-end indulgent yet child-like evocation of a dessert hall with "candy" for the eye & tongue in bell jars, and the dark bar centro with various conceptual sitting apparatuses. i marveled at the plate-sized round cutouts in a communal table displaying black & white videos through the texture of wood-grain-like fabric and a pink, fluorescent light, internally lit hot pink armchair. did you know you can have your fortune told behind a curtain or get a caricature drawn on weekends for free?

rojo is dark, semi-casual, sensual and rustic. its menu, a bit heavier, classic spanish tapas, but even that is filtered through the lens of jose andre's vision. we sat in blanca--light, postmodern, contemporary. having heard positive things about the resto, and watched andre's show, i was nervous my high expectations might end in a disappointing dinner. luckily, i was not disappointed. of the thirteen dishes we sampled, all were excellent except two, which were ok, tasty in parts but did not live up to the quality of the others.

philly cheesesteak & hilly cheesesteak - kudos for offering meat & veggie versions of this tapa. the hilly has delicately sliced, tasty mushrooms with a sprinkling of chives on top, while the philly has wagyu beef. both were crunchy sea-creature-shaped bread sculptures filled with creamy, melty cheese that oozes into your mouth w/ each bite. beef had a lovely sanguine taste.

olives ferran adria old & new: liquid & traditional - a ceramic tray of porcelain spoons, each yielding earthy green spheres that explode liquid olive essence. the texture contrasts with the traditional olives stuffed with anchovies & sweet piquillo peppers, a melding of sweet, salty & pungent sea.

brussel sprout leaves, lemon puree, apricots, grapes & lemon air - one of the faves, this delicious combo tickled my tongue with sweet, salty, tart & highly aromatic flavors as well as textures. the crunchy leaves with the creamy lemon puree, the bursts of sweetness from the apricots and grapes were fabulous.

tortilla de patatas 'new way': warm potato foam, egg 63, carmelized onions - a well-composed dish. you can't go wrong with potato, egg & cream. this one hides the flavorful, poached egg with the right amount of liquid under the creamy potato. topped with nutty pistachio oil and mini-barbie sized cubes of crispy potatoes. yum!

mozzarella tomato pipettes: micro basil - you may think this is just an unconventional take on the caprese, but capreses are good. tomatoes, basil, mozzarella are proven palate mates, but the new experience of squeezing creamy, liquid mozzarella & olive oil out of a pipette while your tongue is wrapped around a skinless cherry tomato has the intended teasing effect of creating desire.

watermelon tomato skewers: pedro ximenez reduction, cherry tomatoes - fresh, sweet, salty, slightly acidic, an unusual combination of tomato seeds & crisp watermelon cubes

galician lobster medallions, olive oil, potatoes, paprika - merely ok. it wasn't so much the flavors that bothered me (those were good), but the lobster was a bit mushy in parts. the grassy olive oil, seafood infused foam & earthy paprika were all great with the potatoes and non-mushy lobster parts

tortilla de atun, tuna belly omelet, dry bonita flakes - i won't take eggs for granted. it's not just for breakfast any more. this classic dish is a little moist in the center, with chunky bits of salty tuna, topped unusually with smokey bonita flakes.

crab meat steam buns, pickled japanese cucumbers - good crab meat, though straightforward except for the tart contrasting flavor & crunchiness of the pickled cucumbers. don't expect the steam buns to be as soft & moist as the ones you find in sgv though. the other dish i thought was not up to par.

apples carlota: bread pudding w/ saffron sauce - moist cake, creamy saffron sauce, tasty

nitro coconut floating island - opaque, white "mushroom" cloud that disintegrates into airy coconut creaminess in your mouth comes balanced on short, banana pillars pillars. spots of espresso chocolate contrasts with tropical passionfruit & vanilla bean syrup.

what do i love about the food? jose andre takes simple, delicious flavor combos, deconstructs them, and re-presents them in such a way that i can enjoy food on many levels. good or bad, it's the artistry in the details of the decor, playfully embellished objects and experimentation in food forms that narrowly separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.

service was good. our waiter seemed unsure but was responsive. i liked the pacing, with several tapas served at a time. pricing & servings comparable to an elegant tasting menu. i didn't leave with leftovers but a deep satisfaction and a hope to return soon.