The Distinguished Gourmand: Bavel

I was at the far end of the table, next to Maryn and across from David. I don’t think any of the three of us had a chance to make any input on our order, so plates just started arriving and we got almost zero information about what we were consuming. I know the meal started with some complimentary olives, but I don’t even like olives so I wasn’t listening to how they were prepared. I will say my second cocktail of the night, Dafne, was a delicious concoction made with mezcal, yuzu, roots, and lemon. Super bright and citrusy with a hint of smoke.

Farm Cheese, Rose Petal Za’atar, Olive Oil, Maldon, Buckwheat loaf. The super soft, creamy cheese was perfectly herbaceous and salty. It paired wonderfully with the loaf, which was as thick as Texas toast with just the right amount of char. It seems weird to think this was one of my favorite bites of the night, but it kind of was.

Duck ‘Nduja Hummus, Creamy Garbanzo Beans, Jerusalem Mix Spice, Herbs, Pita. Maryn described the pita as “as soft as a cloud,” which was pretty funny. But then I looked away and when my eyes returned to my plate she was sprinkling cilantro on my pita, which would have been funny if I wasn’t such a germaphobe. I mean…she wasn’t wrong about the pita, it was outstanding. Maybe this was my favorite bite of the night?

Scallop Crudo, Pomegranate Molasses, Citrus, Burnt Serrano Chile oil, Charred Cucumber, Mint, Black Sesame. For me at least, the best bites of the meal were the first few. This dish had a perfect amount of heat for me, and the sweetness from the molasses counterbalanced it perfectly. If I had to pick out any flaw, I would say that the scallop was so light and delicate it was almost lost amongst the rest of the dish’s bold flavors.

I almost never complain about our Dinner Club experience in this space. If there’s something I don’t like about a meal — or if the meal as a whole was subpar — I just won’t write about it. That said, I think it’s worth relaying here that some in our group were perturbed by the “off menu” wine suggestions made by the sommelier at Bavel. There was no indication as to how the bottles were priced, nor was there any attempt to ascertain whether or not we had a price limit for the bottle(s) we might be interested in. He went into great detail about the decanters from Tripoli, and the story of their journey to Los Angeles, but was scant on details about the wines other than saying they would pair well with our food. Needless to say, this led to some consternation when the bill arrived and a single bottle cost more than any two bottles we would normally order. One person at the table argued they felt hoodwinked. I don’t normally drink enough wine to know good-or-bad sommelier form, or whether it is incumbent upon the diner to alert the somm to their wine budget, but I do think it’s in the best interest of the somm to feel out a group’s comfort zone before popping multiple bottles for them. Trust me, no one at that table is going to feel any financial strain as a result of having to pay a little more for our meal. We’re fine with it. I just think it’s worth noting. I see it a learning experience. Now back to the meal.

Fried Quail, Cardamom Date Sauce, Pickled Celery, Smoked Yogurt, Fresh Herbs. Here’s another instance of me being at the far end of the table and getting screwed. I got the last bit of quail, which included a bit of cartilage so I really got half a bite. By all accounts it was fantastic and I’ll have to order it again next time I’m at Bavel. Hey, at least I got this picture to remind me of what I missed out on, courtesy of Kelie.

Oyster Mushroom Kabob, Lovage & Cardamom Puree, Sumac. I only got a small bite of this dish but enjoyed how the mushrooms offered a big meaty taste. I would have liked a touch more puree, just because 8 people swiping mushrooms through it left only a little on the plate by the time it reached the opposite end of the table. Clearly, restaurants should always take my (and only my) ability to get a perfect bite on my fork into account while plating dishes.

Grilled Prawns, Harissa Marinade, Cured Zucchini Tzatziki, Herbs, Lime. The zucchini and tzatziki made this dish for me. The prawns had a very intense, sweet and smoky thing going on, and the cool, softness of the tzatziki worked well next to it.

Malawach. Ancient Grain Crispy Layered Bread, Grated Tomato, Dill Crème Fraiche, Aged Egg, Strawberry Zhoug. First of all, no I don’t know what an aged egg is. I know it’s delicious, though. Once again, the bread was the star of this dish. It was the perfect vessel for that potent, creamy dip. I think I only got one bite of the Malawach, but when I return to Bavel I’ll be ordering it again.

Braised Pork Tagine, Prunes, Serrano Chile, Cous Cous, Cashews. The couscous isn’t pictured, but the braised pork was cooked to perfection. I think Maryn ended up pouring all the leftovers from that bowl directly into the couscous, which made for a very decadent last bite. Another standout dish.

Grilled Lamb Saddle Chop, North African Rub, Licorice, Herb Salad, Sumac Blueberry Vinaigrette. At this point in the meal people finally started to announce they were getting full, which meant I got an extra bite of the lamb. It wasn’t the prettiest dish to arrive at the table but hidden beneath that herb salad was a perfectly cooked chop that I could have grabbed with both hands and gnawed at all night long. But that would be uncouth.

Lamb Flatbread, Spicy Fermented Sausage, Grated Tomato, Red Onion, Parsley, Pine Nuts, Nigella Seed, Mint, Sumac. Our final savory dish of the night was this flatbread, which was quite good. If you order anything off the flatbread section of the menu I’d say go with the Malawach, but you really can’t go wrong with either plate.

Cardamon Apple Prune Cake, Date Toffee Sauce, Cream. As is customary, I had no input on the dessert order. I’m not a big dessert person, I’d rather fill up on carbs and meat and let everyone else enjoy the sweets. I had a bite of this, and I thought it was very sweet. I loved the date toffee sauce probably more than the cake itself. That’s about my only note. I do like dates, and this was sufficiently date-y.

Paglava, Rolled Walnut & Apricot Filled Pastry, Farm Cheese, Honey, Dried Borage Flower. I had a bite of this and honestly don’t remember it. I will say that I was given a glass of a recommended dessert wine that was very porto like, only…I think Middle Eastern? Whatever that drink was called, it was quite good.