Last Thursday marked the final Dinner Club For Day People (aka Dinner Club, aka #DTE) of 2016. At times this year we were very productive! We dined at Nest @ WP24, Toca Madera (which I neglected to write about) and Odys + Penelope. I guess in hindsight maybe we weren’t productive. Three meetings in twelve months? Yuck. It certainly feels like I’ve eaten well this year. I plan on updating The Swan Fungus 25 later this week. I haven’t updated the definitive list of my favorite restaurants in LA since 2014! So much has changed. Half the list has probably shuttered. Thankfully there is no shortage of great eats to be had in this city right now. Speaking of which, Manuela is a new spot downtown in Hauser Wirth & Schimmel. Mark determined that it demanded the attention of Dinner Club, so we met up there last Thursday.
Amanda stole a bottle of “fire sauce” from Toca Madera during our visit. It has since become our unofficial #DTE mascot. It’s been in my possession since April and I was supposed to hand it off to Mark upon his choosing Manuela, but I forgot it at home. My night began with my friends cursing me and telling me I’m literally the worst person who has ever lived.
Ahem…
Hauser Wirth & Schimmel reminds me a lot of The Source in Denver, only larger (and less crowded). Instead of a multi-use complex in a converted foundry, DTLA’s complex has its roots in a converted flour mill. In short, I guess the only way it’s like The Source is because HW&S used to be something else, too!
Clearly I’m grasping at straws here.
Manuela is helmed by Wes Whitsell, whose menu is inspired by both Southern and Mexican cuisines. Even more impressive than the delicious culinary combo is Whitsell’s approach, which includes techniques like in-house smoking, fermentation, and using ingredients from the on-site farm. I think they even have chickens on said farm, which is right out back! I didn’t see the chickens, but I did eat one. More on that later.
There’s a cocktail list and wine list to pair with the food. In true Dinner Club fashion we drank a lot. I had the Rattlesnake Roundup (Redemption rye whiskey, house made pimms, dates, and lemon) and then I switched to wine. They have Sean Thackrey Pleiades XXIV on the wine list. I fucking love that wine, and to prove it I put a bottle away by myself.
Due to the nature of Whitsell’s approach, you can’t really count on the menu staying the same every night. Some of the items we had might not be available in the future, but maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have something even better! Either way, here’s what the thirty of us (we were seven, but we ordered as if we were thirty)Â consumed.
Pimento Cheese & Tortilla Chips – We started — as we so often do at these meetings — with a little nosh. I loved this dish, and could have eaten an entire order myself if it were socially acceptable. Unfortunately it’s not (that’s how you get labeled a glutton. Also it’s how you end up paying more than everyone else at Dinner Club). What is that one someone’s plate in the background? Is it a flower pedal? Is it gum? Who was sitting across from me? Was that you, Maryn?
Hush Puppies – No joke, ever since my mother moved to Savannah, Georgia I’ve become obsessed with hushpuppies. And no one makes better hush puppies than Pearl’s Saltwater Grille. There have been places in LA that have tried to perfect the doughy little fried treats but none have come close. I will say that Manuela’s (which come with molasses butter) come close. They were just a touch too dry for me, but I do admit they were awesome and I will be ordering them again in the future.
Raw, Pickled and Fermented Vegetables – remember the on-site farm I mentioned before? I think all these were grown here at Manuela. If not, they were procured from another local source but probably pickled or fermented on-site. Either way, they were GREAT even without the addition of ranch, which is one of the most vile…things EVER created. Fuck Ranch. There, I said it. What are you going to do about it? The beginning of the meal (including our drink at the bar before being seated) was focused on talking to everyone about how they spent Thanksgiving. Mark and David were in Europe so we peppered them with questions about the time they spent in Paris, Rome, and Prague.
The Redneck – Other than the hush puppies this was one of the plates I was most interested in sampling. What can I say, I’m a man of simple tastes. Put a fresh biscuit and some stuff in front of me and I’m a happy man. In the case of Manuela, the “stuff” includes prosciutto, pickles, pimento cheese (more pimento cheese…), and deviled eggs. It reminded me of the biscuit plate at The Heart And The Hunter back in the day. Is that place still open? I suppose I could Google it…
Hot Sauce – Well, well, well. Would you look at that? Manuela has its own branded hot sauce. Not like that cheap Toca Madera bullshit with the eye dropper and the inconspicuous, bland-ass container. I think we can all agree that Manuela has the stronger hot sauce game. It was so good I don’t even think Amanda bothered to steal it. Unless she did, in which case she’s a terrible person.
Crisp Polenta – The polenta was on point, with the crisp fried cornmeal playing well off the lushness of the fried egg and creme fraiche and the earthiness of the maitake ragu. Right guys? The polenta was good? Did any of us even discuss the meal with one another or we were too busy getting sloshed in our own little insular bubbles. I know I talked to Maryn for a few minutes about the new show she’s working on. I don’t remember anything about it, but I know she takes the 10 to work every day and it takes her about an hour to get there! At least I think that’s what she said. Jesus. Was this the most drunken Dinner Club yet?
Cider Laced Brussels – I loved the Brussels sprouts. I don’t think they can compete with the ones from Playa Provisions (eel sauce and Sriracha for the win!) but they were one of the better examples I’ve had this year. These are made with an almond ailoi and currants, which added just a touch of acidity. Would definitely order these again. Are Brussels sprouts considered “basic” at this point? I feel like they’re on every menu in town. You know who else is basic? A girl I went to Smorgasburg with who happens to be friends with another Dinner Club member. Apparently I described our meeting as a “date” and she did not! That doesn’t matter because I proceeded to spend a good ten minutes describing to everyone at the table how “basic” she is.
Cornmeal Dusted Catfish – Plated with glazed carrots and tartar sauce, the catfish had a nice crunch to it and the tartar sauce and carrots imparted hints of tartness and sweetness. It wasn’t revelatory, but it was a fun preparation in a comforting, home-y kind of way. I wouldn’t say it’s a dish I’d drink with red wine, but that’s on me. You know who else now loves Pleiades? Kelie. I made her try it and then she ordered a glass for herself. You GO Kelie!
Striped Bass – Y’know…for a producer of food-based television shows, you’d think Nate would take a more exciting photo of the bass. Instead it looks like…maybe the flash ruined the mood? I don’t know. Either way, the bass was served with melted leeks and a peanut romesco. I don’t think romesco is typically made with peanuts but I liked the unique take on the traditional ingredients here. I’ve been eating A LOT of fish lately so between this place, Marè, Playa Provisions, EMC and Herringbone they’re all running together in my mind. Also, you know, the wine.
Crisp Fingerlings – I think around the time the chicken came our meal began to draw to its inevitable conclusion. Thus, we had to go around and state what we are most thankful for this year. There was a lot of talk about SOs and careers and all that garbage. You know, the hokey, emotional stuff that I have an aversion to. Nothing to see here, just a cold black heart incapable of empathy or love, or even moderate levels of happiness. Just…food and wine and beer and bourbon. That’s all I need in life. Also vinyl. And pills. And women and books and running shoes and notepads and video games and sleep and horror movies and road trips and gambling and hush puppies and more beer and more pills and– AW FUCK, I did it again.
Smoked Half Chicken – Served with mashed potatoes and broccolini. There was a decidedly negative response to the chicken at the table, which is a shame because we ordered two of them to feed everyone. Some people (I’m not naming names!) declared it to be “too smoky.” Guys, we ordered a fucking smoked chicken. What were you expecting exactly? I thought it was GREAT. All wood-kissed, smoky and peppery, with a perfectly crispy skin and tender juicy interior. I was very pleased with the preparation. I’m sorry the rest of you #DTEers were expecting, what, KFC?
Chocolate Torte – I’m going to be perfectly honest with you, I kind of don’t remember dessert. I ran my fork through the torte, and ate more of the apple walnut cobbler than I probably should have (sorry if someone didn’t get any), but apparently we ordered a third item that I don’t even remember! I’m not much of a dessert person anyway so I don’t think this recap is going to gain anything by having me describe chocolate or apple or ice cream for you. You probably already know what those things taste like. I’ll say that this came with crème fraiche and burnt caramel ice cream.
Apple & Walnut Cobbler – Now this is my jam. Cobblers, crumbles, crisps, pretty much anything that involves a crusty, battered, pie-ish base is more than enough to satisfy me. God, what the hell were we talking about? I remember Amanda being thankful for finally getting up the courage to quit her job. That was one of the more exciting moments of the toast portion of the meal.
Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding – Didn’t even get to try this. Didn’t even know we ordered it. I was too busy telling Maryn a story about Jonathan Gold to notice it had arrived and people were dividing it up and consuming it. Mark has since a) identified the dish after Nate sent the picture to me and b) commented “It was pretty good.” Oh well. I’m not a big bread pudding fan, anyway. You know what I am a fan of, though? Relaying stupid Jonathan Gold stories I’ve heard through the years. That shit never gets old.
Dinner Club will return in 2017. Hopefully.
Saor – Autumn Rain [MP3]
