Flavor is the Thing at “Leilas” in Oak Park & "Aroma” Downtown

An FAF New Year Doubleheader
                                                   

Make no Mistake!!!!!! At Leila’s Restaurant and Wine Bar in Oak Park, Master Chef Richie DeMane (above) has been “The Master of His Domain” for a decade. His food can be accurately defined as Unique Contemporary American cuisine often with subtle Far Eastern nuances. Intense flavors abound throughout the entire menu.

DeMane’s ability to consistently deliver a superbly  presented, innovative, and weekly changing menu, at every level is amazing.......  in a tiny open kitchen,,, and at prices that belie the visceral and visual pleasures that await you.

The restaurant itself however is, strangely, somewhat of a visual paradox. It is  unpretentiously ensconced at the Northeast corner of Kanan and Lindero in a nondescript  center with a pizza joint, a suspect Japanese restaurant, one more of those ubiquitous and now also apparently  unneeded Starbucks and an assortment of other stuff.

12 tantalizing entrees feature seafood, poultry, steak and two Italian choices. My wife and one friend chose 6 Hour  Braised Beef  in a merlot and espresso sauce shredded over celantini pasta with crispy shallots and parmesan. They loved it. The other friend chose pan seared Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast with toasted faro, tart cherries and ginger port demi. He raved.  I had a new play on Osso Buco with pork rather than veal shank served in a red wine sofrito with garlic mashers, smoked red pepper romesco and crispy onions. It was excellentr..

It is very rare that a restaurant can deliver consistently, throughout. But desserts by Demane are dangerously seductive. We shared a Bittersweet Chocolate Bread Pudding. My wife who is a true Pastry  Maven (especially Bittersweet Chocolate based) declared it best ever.  A Hazelnut Praline Cheesecake with caramel sauce was a lighter and  pleasant contrast.

The  other unstated but rather obvious  factor in what Demane and Leila's has achieved is that all of the above  ingredients are premium quality. They are carefully chosen by either Richie or the omni-present and very observant overseer, suave blue-eyed Payman Afshar. They are reinforced  by Fromager Joseph Kono (cheese maven for the uninformed)..

The Wine List is small but competently staff selected and  fairly priced. We ordered a Russian River Pinot Noir and the glasses on the table were immediately exchanged for the impressive oversized bulbous pinot flavor enhancing Reidels.   Corkage is $15.

The restaurant is open for dinner only.

A complete meal can be had for $35-45 excluding tax, tip and alcohol

Leila’s Restaurant and Wine Bar 
752 Lindero Canyon Road at Kanan    Oak Park            818-707-6939                  Reservations Essential    Most Credit Cards   Convenient Adjacent Parking.

“Aroma” Downtown (Almost)

One of the oft received e-mails to FAF deals with Los Angeles re: in downtown or on the way dining with good food … at reasonable prices. . The requests have increased this year as the Lakers seem sure to be around until the summer and Nokia is offering “hot performances”.  Then there is The Music Center.  Note above  the very  pleasant ambience of this Silverlake Sleeper.

Frankly, until recently there have been  no serious choices worth my recommendation........even on the way.......... in the entire San Fernando Valley. We have at least 9 restaurants in The Conejo that are better even  than anything in all the Valley with the one exception of a Studio City. sushi bar.  

And in all downtown, there are really only two truly well  rated restaurants, Patina in The Music Center and The Water Grill a 5 minute drive away. #3  is merely fair. .  But all three can easily cost over $200 a couple. So after you pay for your show or athletic event, you may have to refinance your home. Sadly, you may have done already.

Water Grill is one of the two best fish restaurants South of San Francisco. For me, Patina is an overrated corporate product that does offer the convenience of being in the Music Center but in a rigid somehow, neither satisfying nor interesting environment. Cicada is in a stunningly beautiful replica of the dining room of the pre WW11 Rex Ocean luxury liner ..........with overpriced food.

Then along comes that sleeper called Aroma. It is 10 convenient minutes from the heart of the city. in our  Bohemian Silverlake area  It offers free parking, fine flavorful Italian dining in a pleasant room…. all at almost half price of the downtowners. For most, the trip can be a fun adventure that adds just10 minutes to your total driving time.  As you drive through old Hollywoodtown, you will be transported to those Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart flix. 

 The trigger of all this is owner and executive chef (that is what I always look for first)  Edin Maroquin whose chops were honed long term at Piero Selvaggio’s very upscale Il Ristorante Valentino in Santa Monica. For about 35 years Valentino has justifiably been rated at the top for Italian food in the United States.

Edin offers the complete range of  pastas  including a  Penne with Asparagus ($14), meat ravioli in a tomato cream sauce($15)  very wonderful Linguini with clams ($19). There are 11choices. All raviolis are home made.

There's 6 veal dishes ranging from $19 to $24. 4 Chicken plates $19,  a Filet or a T Bone ($26.)

There is always a catch of the day, often  Branzino, cooked beautifully at a fair price. There is Scampi offered three ways $21.

Desserts are standard Italian offerings but I am not sure they are home made.

He also has a wonderful fairly priced, changing, surprise 5 Course tasting menu. at $55.

Service is very friendly. yet also very professional. So you may be again perplexed as you discover all this fronted by a meager exterior image  even more surprising than Leila's above. 

The wine list is small, strong on Italians but satisfying and well priced. Corkage is $10.

Now comes the adventure. Aroma is located on the corner of Sunset Blvd and Silverlake Blvd.  It is the heart of the above mentioned artsy and young Greenwich Villagey Silverlake District near downtown. 95% of Conejoites have never been there. 50% have not even heard of it.

The fun adventure is to take the 101 toward town until you get to Hollywood Blvd. Get off, turn left on Hollywood Blvd. and travel East twisting  through old Hollywood town  until it naturally turns into Sunset Blvd. Continue (7 minutes) to 2903 Sunset. The restaurant is near the corner of Silverlake Blvd on the left between a grimy liquor store and a Vietnamese nail salon. Depending on the time of the day you should be able to park in front of the restaurant.

The boring non-adventure….. if the 101 is wide open (rarely) is to stay  freeway safe (?) until Silverlake Blvd. Exit, and go North on Silverlake to Sunset. (3 minutes) You are there .

If you are then going to the Music Center, you can go down Sunset to downtown near the Union Station. If you are going to Nokia or Staples, take Silverlake Blvd back South to the 101 and attack the city of Los Angles the way you normally do. …….if you have ever been there.