Saturday, October 08, 2005

An A-List Spot in L.A.


When in Rome, you do as the Romans do and when in L.A., you visit A-List hot spots. I am on biz trip to L.A. for 2 weeks and earlier this week, I dined at A.O.C., the brain-child of James Beard-nominated chef, Suzanne Goin and sommelier, Caroline Styne.

A.O.C. (Appellation d'Origine Controllee, which stands for Appellation of Controlled Origin and refers to French Wine Law) features small plates served family-style and 50 wines by the glass. The menu is divided into various sections, including cheeses, charcuterie, salads, fish, meat, and items prepared in the restaurant's on-site wood burning oven.


Items not to miss: the lomo and two chorizo charcuterie plate; corn and avocado salad with chili, lime and cilantro; braised pork cheeks with horseradish gremolata; grilled skirt steak with aged balsamic aioli.

The wine list encompasses as much imagination as the cuisine. I indulged in a glass of Aussie Muscadelle from Hewitson. Fresh and lively, with notes of melon and citrus, this was a wonderful pairing to the corn and avocado salad.



A.O.C, 8022 W. Third Street,
Los Angeles, California
323.653.5359


Photos courtesy of www.aocwinebar.com

1 comment:

Becks said...

I LOVE AOC. You should mention that members of the the AOC team (if not all of them) own Lucques, which is around the corner from this spot. Also, I've heard Suzanne Goin sometimes guest chefs at Cookshop and Five Points in NYC.