vespertine, culver city.
i’ve been posting our favorite meals of 2019 over the past few weeks, but jordan kahn’s vespertine was definitely the most controversial.
the meal started and ended in the beautiful outdoor garden, which was very zen beside the imposing steel structure. a member of the staff led us into the building and into a dark elevator. when the doors opened, we were in the kitchen, and greeted personally by the chef. then we were led up a stairwell on the exterior of the building to the top floor. it was beautiful and dreamy with the sunset.
fizzy drink with passion flower.
the first bites we were offered amazing, bright, and surprising. the entire rooftop experience was absolutely perfect in every way.
giant kelp “chips”.
sea lettuce “dip”.
savory cookie, black currant.
milk bread, king trumpet mushrooms.
exterior stairwell between the kitchen and rooftop.
we then descended back via the stairs and elevator to the main dining room. in stark contrast to the bright, cozy experience we had just come from, the main dining room was dark, muted and much noisier. my biggest complaint for the meal was the seating. due to the construction of the tables and seating, we were sitting very far from the two people across the table. i had to constantly lean forward to be able to have any conversation, which was quite painful after three and a half hours.
leek, horseradish, spruce.
golden char roe, almond, radish.
scallop, bone marrow, salted plum.
the food was unquestionably beautiful and surprising. there were definitely dishes that tasted better than others, and dishes that didn’t feel like they did justice to the ingredients. however, i appreciated the thought and experimentation that was presented throughout the evening. my favorite of the night was the lobster tail wrapped in orach leaves; the squab presented whole tableside was a close second.
lobster, quince, red orach.
kinmedai, wild strawberry, bougainvillea.
dungeness crab, pork fat, egg yolk.
aged squab, juniper, black trumpet.
lamb fat, overripe plantain, woodruff.
snap peas, hardy kiwi, lemongrass.
black raspberry, meadowsweet, black carrot.
milk chocolate, green almond, cucumber.
there was a lot that went right, and a lot that went wrong with this meal for our little group of four. i didn’t get into all the details, but we were all pretty torn about how we felt about the meal afterwards, and whether it was worth it. regardless of how we felt, it was definitely an experience we will never forget or stop talking about.
carmelized sunchoke, candy cap, cherries, plums, blackberries.
3599 Hayden Ave, Culver City, CA 90232
