Like a Michelin, but not a Michelin

September and November 2014

..And then there’s Maude. We are very excited to have a restaurant like this in LA, finally! The staff are truly professional, and many of them have cute Australian accents – I assume Curtis must have hand-picked them. The whole feel of the place reminds me of what I have experienced in Spain, France, Japan, Vegas, NYC. Solid, well-executed, super-inspired and original. It was like going to a really good show on Broadway that is very well-directed. I can’t describe any other restaurant in LA that can pull this off. So much better than places like Bazaar, Providence, Rivera, etc. And as for the food itself, I adored the way Chef paid homage to the tomato. I felt like I was a judge on Top Chef. Could I nitpick it? Yes. But I won’t, they are undeserving of this kind of disrespect.

Going back for White Truffles in November added more pressure.  $250 pp ++ for wine, corkage, etc.  While wonderful, I don’t think it was worth the extra $$$.  The restaurant is wonderful, but I would recommend sticking to the more “mundane” ingredient themes as besides being half the price, it is actually more difficult to make them spectacular.  Better dinner AND better value that way.

Tomato Pix:

White Truffle Pix: