Indigo Pasta

First Dinner from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Wines:
Domaine du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape Recolte 1998
Heidi Schrock Weinbauerin in Rust elfriede Old Vines 2002

Cliff & Cathy with Polenta and Parsifal

We started the dinner drinking the elfriede, it was absolutely delicious, very deep in flavor.

First course: Salad with pears, Walnuts that Campanile had given as favors at their Thanksgiving dinner, St. Agur blue cheese from Cheese Store of Silverlake and saba.

For the second course we made our first recipe from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Suzanne Goin’s new cookbook from our Sunday night restaurant: Lucques.

We chose torchio with cauliflower, cavolo nero, currants, and pine nuts. When we went to the Hollywood Farmers Market we purchased cauliflower that was purple. Our recent trip to Japan had been characterized as the “Indigo Tour” because of the indigo dyers that we visited. This pasta would be in keeping with the tour. There actually was a lot of complex layering of flavors and it was excellent. In addition the house took on a great fragrance from the garlic and anchovies.

Look forward to the leftovers.

Bea Gets Porked

Taihei-Zan “Kimoto Junmai” Sake
Mas Carlot 2004 Clairette de Bellegarde
McPrice Myers 2003 Santa Ynez Valley Syrah (Larner Vineyards)
JC Cellars 2003 Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard

Our neighbor Roger Pietschmann stopped over to pick up an article in the New York Times travel section about Oaxaca Mexico. Roger and his wife Andrea were leaving the next day for a vacation there and we suggested the article and a few places he should visit. Bea arrived and we drank wine and sake while looking at our Japan pictures.

This was our first dinner since we returned from Japan. We decided to keep it simple and made one of our favorite pork recipes: Pork with Milk. Matt Molina, who used to cook at Campanile had served it once but kicked up the recipe with Sage and Onion. We followed his example and did the same. We served it with polenta that we also added sage and polenta browned in butter.

For a first course we had persimmon and pomegranate and arugula salad. We usually have prosciutto in it, but had recently been to JAR where they served it with crumbled goat cheese. We decided to follow that model and been to Cheese Store of Silverlake where we purchased almonds and the goat cheese. In addition, we tried their gigantic cup cakes. They were very tasty! We then walked Bea home to her house and staggered back to ours!

New York Times Mentions Us!

When we got back from Japan, Jay at Campanile mentioned that Cathy and Cliff were mentioned in an article in the New York Times. We didn't know anything about it. We found the article and were surprised to read about ourselves.

Here is the link to the full New York Times Article (Sunday Magazine Nov. 13, 2005)
The Way We Eat: Scene Stealer

It was very nice for Lucques to mention us.

Here part of the article.

The New York Times
November 13, 2005
Food
The Way We Eat: Scene Stealer
By CHRISTINE MUHLKE

L.A. power scenes are not created equal. Sunday nights at Lucques on Melrose belong to Suzanne Goin's slowed-down suppers. Here, along the curled-up banquettes set in Harold Lloyd's former carriage house, you'll find the likes of Tom Ford, Reese Witherspoon, the Gyllenhaal family and Cliff Meyer and Cathy Root (noncelebs who have come every Sunday since the restaurant opened in 1998) recharging with homey-elegant dishes like grilled pork confit with rice soubise and figs, and olive-oil cake with candied tangerines. This set three-course menu is Goin's way of stretching after a long week. "It's more lighthearted and off the cuff," she explained.