Blue Plate Oysterette - American Classic

Just when I thought things couldn't get any grimmer for SoCal, the silver lining came; Blue Plate Oysterette. While we Angelino's have ample f-fusion cuisines to sample, we lack in oyster bars. I've been constantly grumbling to my bay area friends about this dismal situation. How is it that just a few hundred miles north, our counterparts have plethora of oysters to slurp on, sitting on bar stools amid a display of fresh seafood ready to be cracked and sliced for our enjoyment while we are reduced to Ocean Ave or whatever new shi shi brasserie in town. I have yet to stumble upon a true oyster bar. One that reeks of old world charm with guys behind the bar yelling out your order and a split second later catching that flying slab of smoked mackerel.

Some place that can rival Swan Oyster Depot or Anchor Steam Brewing for that matter. Things were looking bleak..

Until Blue Plate came along.

This is what I've been pining for. Antiquity mixed with a little blue blood. And it only gets better. Whereas Swan Oyster Depot has about 5 types of oysters, Blue Plate boasts a variety or 12! From east to west, you name it, they've got it!

Libations? BP carries a variety of wines and an extensive selection of tap beers and sake. I felt a bit whimsical so I opted for this, infused sake. It was meh, notes of pepper and mango are obvious but it didn't taste any more like booze than a glass of sprite doused with black pepper.

What really makes BP a notch above others are classic dishes such as Baked Clams that seem to have died out like disco days. The succulent juices of these tender mollusks sucked up by the bread crumbs makes raw clams dim in comparison. Oyster Rockefellers, although more ubiquitous than Baked Clams, also make a rare appearance here.

The Lobster Mac n Cheese with Truffle Oil is a blue blood version of the original. A decadent comfort food!

The Crudo here appears to be tuna with EVO. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a tartar and a banal one for that matter. 

Blue Plate Oysterette, LA's solution to the oyster bar shortage. But much more than just that. An oyster shrine where one can suck on luscious dewy oysters and moan without the guy sitting next to you thinking you're some fiend. Each superlative morsel is so sweet and unadulterated, tobasco and cocktail sauce would only do harm than good. Just a dollop of their mignonette will suffice. Epitome of sexy food.

Blue Plate Oysterette

1355 Ocean Avenue

Santa Monica, CA 90402

http://blueplatesantamonica.com/bpo/home/

Urth Caffe - Santa Monica

Art or ? I've been hearing about Urth Caffe's latte art, where toothpicks are used to create fancy shapes and forms. It was a delight to witness the "artists" in action and one wonders, can I recreate this on my own latte?

Urth Caffe seems like one of those trendy spots where MILF's congregate to show off their new pair of Rock and Republic jeans. Although the idea behind "Urth" is about organic tea leaves and coffee beans, I didn't get a whiff of any tree hugger or hippie-like clientele. The plethora of couture loving patrons only confirmed my suspicion that "organic" is a designer label made to entice our trend following society. While I was sipping my "organic" green tea latte and nibbling an "organic" banana cream pie, I knew I had succumbed into the trap set by merchants. I had sold myself to the "organic label". Not that the Spanish latte wasn't a mug of unctuous, aromatic goodness, with a sketching of a dove that I couldn’t bear to ruin. But was it really worth the price at $7 a chuck?

Caché

So this will be my first official blog post. Apparently, playing around with msn space isn't enough to satiate my desire to annouce my food endeavors. Of course, it's going to take some time to get situated. Setting up this account alone took me 30 minutes.

It's been a millenium since my last entry, ever since laziness snuck in. But I actually remembered to lug my camera this time!

Caché deserves a post.
It features a Spanish/Vietnamese/Japanese/Italian menu with a French technique.



We started off with a mason jar of Foi Gras Parfait, pure creamy decadence. I could have finished the jar off all to myself if cholesterol wasn't an issue.
Next up were the oysters with pink pepper mignonette, so fresh and perfect.

The last dish was Portobello Mushroom with spinach and goat cheese. The pungent goat cheese and portobello balanced each other quite nicely, standard fare, nothing to write home about.
Overall, I'de say stick with the appetizers. They seem to outshine the main courses. Rating: 6/10