A weekend in LA

We were invited to the wedding of one of our daughter’s best friends. How could we not go? We were so delighted to be asked, and we adore her.

We came out on Friday morning, just in time for dinner at RVR (River). Travis Lett, the chef, and co-founder of Gjelina and Gjusta, two spots that transformed west-side Los Angeles dining, is the brainchild behind RVR.

I have not blogged about restaurants in some time, but RVR is so damn brilliant and good that I must share. The menu has six sections: small plates, hand roll, gyoza, vegetables, charcoal grilled, and ramen. Serious care has been brought to each dish. Think of it as Gjelina went to Japan and then came back to Venice. We could have eaten every dish on the menu. We began with the house pickles. The marinated burdot root wrapped in a shiso leaf is divine, the explosion of every flavor stands out in your mouth. For me, the best part is if any of these had garlic in them, I didn’t taste it or feel it the next day, and that is a huge score.

The six handrolls on the menu are all worthy of tasting. We went with the citrus snapper, avocado, cucumber, yuzu kosho and shiso. Fresh, crisp and delish.

Also the chopped yellowfin tuna with ginger, scallion and half moon bay wasabi. Perfect.

Wild oita kanpachi, yuzu ponzu, oroshi, sesame, and chives.

There are three options for gyoza; we opted for the boiled shrimp with Fresno chili, cilantro, and ginger.

The vegetable section is the largest. Root Farms’ early girl tomatoes, shiso, myoga, and toasted soba are still in season and delicious in LA.

Castelfranco radicchio, creamy tofu, asian pear, anchovy panko is recreating a Ceasar salad at a whole other level. The vegetable tempura kakiage, and sweet dashi aioli is perfection. Crispy, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. When I come back, I might have to order my own plate.

Those are some highlights, but having a full bar on Abbott Kinney is a slam dunk. There are only a limited number of liquor licenses in this area, which is ridiculous and expensive. I can have a martini, which makes my day. I can hardly wait to get back out to Venice! There is no doubt that Travis has a hit on his hands.

The wedding was the next night, in Palos Verdes. I always love a good party.