Sherman's Food Adventures: Bottega Louie

Bottega Louie

With the first leg of our trip over and done with, we were now in fabulous LA.  Sadly, this was going to be more for the kiddies than anything else.  Hence, more Disneyland and less gastronomical delights for moi.  Joining us in LA was Costanza and Elaine (with their 2 kiddies), and before we descended into theme park purgatory, I suggested we head over to Bottega Louie for some eats and sweets.  I think Costanza and I were on the same wavelength as he readily agreed to navigate the wonderful freeways of LA for our latest eating adventure.

As if our minds were in sync, we both wanted the Lobster Hash.  The Porchetta Sandwich also caught his eye, so I ended up getting the that as he ordered the hash.  With squishy potatoes and perfectly poached eggs, the hash was amped up by the silky and rich Hollandaise.  It was mild on the acidity while high on the butter content.  Surrounding the hash were little nicely poached nuggets of lobster.  As for my sandwich, the cubes of pork were fatty and moist.  It was accented by the sweetness of the caramelized onions as well as the peppers.  The brined caper aioli added the necessary saltiness.  What brought it all together was the salt and pepper topped brioche bun.  It was soft, yet dense enough to stand up to the ingredients.

Elaine decided to be the healthiest of the bunch by trying the Kale Salad with Taylor Farms organic baby kale, cherry tomatoes, garlic herbed croutons, Parmigiano Reggiano & buttermilk dressing.  With tender kale and the creaminess of the dressing along with the saltiness of the parm, this was a pleasant, if not typical salad.  Viv opted for the Smoked Salmon Benedict with poached eggs, smoked wild salmon, crème fraîche, red onions, sautéed greens & Hollandaise sauce on a potato pancake.  Once again, the eggs were runny while the Hollandaise was silky.  As much as the potato pancake was a nice departure from a type of bread, it didn't provide much in the way of a textural contrast.

For the table, we decided to share 2 pizzas including the Margherita and Sausage.  We found the crust to be well-charred and appealing in appearance.  The pizza dough was crunchy throughout the outside while being chewy and well-seasoned.  I particularly liked the fresh tomato sauce as it was vibrant and tart.  With high-quality EVOO, the aroma was definitely apparent.  For the sausage pizza, there was no shortage of meat.  The kiddies shared the pizza as well as the Mac n' Cheese.  With a cheesy firm crust on the top, it gave way to relatively firm noodles on the inside.  The sauce was creamy and slightly greasy, yet surprisingly mild on the cheesiness.

For dessert, Viv and I decided to go big or go home, so we had the Raspberry Napoleon.  Each buttery layer was crispy and consistent.  As for the filling, it was creamy and purposefully sweet.  This was a surprisingly refreshing dessert.  We also had 3 Macarons consisting of Mango, Raspberry and Lemon.  I thought the textures to be on point with a crispy and light exterior giving way to a soft chewy interior.  The flavours matched their description in a natural tasting manner without being overly sweet. Elaine and Constanza went for the Pannacotta, Chocolate Eclair and Raspberry Beneight.  I liked the creaminess and zing from the pannacotta which was accented by the crispy white chocolate balls.  The dark chocolate mousse underneath was more like a ganache being thick and smooth.  We really liked the beneight as it was soft and moist with a sweet filling.  The eclair was rather dense, but chocolaty.  In reality, this was only 5% of their total inventory of sweets as their display ran the whole length of the building (and then some).  What a treat to start off our visit to LA!

The Good:
- Huge selection of sweets and pastries
- Decent eats
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Pricey (of course)
- Can get really busy during peak times 

Bottega Louie on Urbanspoon

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