Bistro LQ - An Early Thanksgiving

 Today I witnessed erotic furniture and indulged in pork like a deprived German, both of which were unexpected. This unassuming furniture store contained some eye opening pieces, either you love or hate. This coffee stand was made of human hair, and I couldn't for the life of me understand the concept. My jaw dropped, but I was left with an unpleasant taste in my mouth. Do consumers actually purchase these for their living room?

My favorite, loose powder coffe table.

The eerie vanity table with melted wax

If only the hair coffee stand was placed next to this vanity table, it would've been the perfect setup for The Ring.

As 6 o'clock chimed in, we scurried to Bistro LQ next door. I was anticipating chef/owner Laurent Quenioux's innovative creations. He was heralded "the mad chef" and Jonathan Gold described him as "the most mysterious of L.A.’s first-rank chefs". LQ is known to be daring with creations such as ant's eggs, barbequed frog legs and such. Without doubt, I was beyond stoked entering the premise. There were no patrons at the time, but I assumed it was because the night was young. The decor was low profile, intimate, with around 10 tables. The only vestige of LQ's zaniness were the melange of silver and champagne balloons floating on the ceiling. It definitely elicited my attention with its out-of-place yet tranquil fusion.

(I forgot to bring my camera. This was taken from their website.)

As we were seated, Jonathan, the adorable parisian server, informed us the regular menu/tasting menu wasn't available today. The star of the show tonight was the Choucroute prefixe menu. Choucroute is French for sausage. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I really did not like the idea of indulging too much on meats. But you only live once, what the hell?

I'm going to keep this short, the corpulence of pork from the meal has left me in a comatose state.

First Course - A simple Herring, Topped with Sauteed Quail Egg

Choucroute to include Sauerkraut poached in Reisling, Mortreaux Sausage, apple wood smoked bacon, Pork Shoulder, Ham Hock, Milk Sausage, Weiners, Blood Sausage, Steamed Potatoes.

 You can only imagine the look on our faces as this massive plate of meat was laid before us. Pork today and turkey tomorrow. Wonderful. Don't get me wrong, these sausages were tender, moist and flavorful, not saturated with sodium like American sausage tend to get. But one can only eat so much pork. We managed to finish 80% of the plate, which was miraculous by Asian standards.

Not only is Chef Laurent notable for his avante-garde courses, but also for his delectable desserts. He boasts a 5 course dessert menu that has rave reviews across the boards. I was amazed at the complex flavors, and how he executed simple dishes with a flair of his own. Although, dismayed that I did not get to try their regular menu of exotic dishes, Bistro LQ left a stellar impression. Service was elegant, food was sophisticated yet unpretentious, and if that's possible, LQ has accomplished it. As we left the bistro, Jonathan, our server, remarked "this is your first time? I'm sure it wont be your last.." with a knowing smile.

8/10
http://www.bistrolq.com/
8009 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 951-1088