chaya brasserie beverly hills

as if nic's wasn't enough to make my night (thanks, kim!), i got to do dinner @ chaya brasserie beverly hills w/linds right after (thanks, linds!). (dani -- you totally missed out so we'll just HAVE to make another reservation.)

at first, i was worried that we might get there late, especially since neither of us had a clue where we were going. plus, does not EVERYONE in the free world f***ing hate the fact that there are TWO santa monica boulevards?! i mean, WTF?! the city planners couldn't have thought of some random OTHER name for one of them? geezus christ. at any rate, we made it there RIGHT at 7. and other than having to recover quickly from almost getting killed by another SUV as we were attempting to valet park, we were ready for dinner.

i'm not quite sure why the hostess asked whether we wanted happy hour, especially when our reservation was for 7 and we walked in right at 7. perhaps we didn't look haggard and hungry enough? thankfully, she seated us right away, offering both dineLA and regular menus, which is always lovely. while i didn't get a chance to look all around the restaurant, what i did catch were some high ceilings (which always do it for me), some amazing mirrors (that made the room look even more spacious and splendid), a great bar scene (a cool vibe w/little to no skeez), and a whole lot of happy people at happy tables. it was just the right amount of noise, where you could still hear your dinner date as well as your own thoughts. so it was pretty much the perfect dinner atmosphere. (my one criticism is that the bathroom was TINY. i really don't know how a big-boned person would be able to get into any of the stalls. much less anyone w/a wheelchair. they should probably check their codes.)

so i'm soooooo glad that i figured out that the dineLA menus were online. (i don't really know how i missed the boat on that one, but i suppose i've had worst things happen.) b/c anyone who's a foodie should know how important it is to check out the menu options before you go out to eat. i mean, if the options are lighter, you'll know that you can eat more earlier in the day. if the options are heavier, you'll know to hold off on that extra slice of chocolate cake. i mean, seriously, right? (this was probably why i didn't enjoy simon LA too much. darn it!) thankfully, i checked out chaya's menu earlier today (passing it onto linds who seemed thoroughly excited) and i was totally and completely READY.

while m cafe de chaya is the one (of three chaya restaurants) known for macrobiotic cuisine, i noticed vegan options for every course on the dineLA menu, so i decided to go for it! (which explains why i chose to have quiche for lunch today -- see what i mean about balance?) for my appetizer, i had the soup of the day -- a yummy cauliflower puree with a few croutons, a little pepper, and ZERO cream. OMG. so delish. linds ordered the lobster ravioli (which she'd thought about all day) and it was yummy too. the ravioli itself was a bit thicker than usual, but the lobster was a pretty good consistency. (though nothing compares to the lobster ravioli i had at china grill in new york: http://www.chinagrillmgt.com/chinaNY/main.cfm. i mean, i don't like lobster OR ravioli. and yes, i'm hard to please. total shocker, i know.)

for my entree, i had the crispy tempeh w/sweet potato puree and tuscany kale. linds wanted me to order the fish so she could order the short ribs, but here's my attitude: you can't go wrong w/short ribs b/c no chef can go wrong w/short ribs. i mean, you throw 'em in wine, let them simmer FOREVER, and they fall off the bone. really, seriously, how simple is that? so if you're a nervous eater or you're just in need of some comfort food, do the short ribs. you'll inevitably be happy and full at the end of your meal. however, if you're a little more adventurous, you should try something that's a little more challenging for the chef. so linds order the sea bass w/braised greens, andouille sausage, and basmatic rice. mmm....

so here's what i thought.... i'd totally forgotten what tempeh tastes like (since my last excursion to native foods) and i kept thinking it was supposed to taste grainier, like quinoa or something. though i'm not even sure what quinoa tastes like anymore at this point, to be quite honest. in any case, it didn't taste like meat, but it didn't taste like veggies, so maybe it tasted like something in b/w. the important thing is that it tasted YUMMY. it had enough substance and texture, and it was encased in a crispy coating. i mean, how can you go wrong w/a crispy coating? the one thing i do have to say is that it was QUITE salty. i think the chef went buck wild w/the salt actually. b/c lindsay's fish, although perfectly cooked, was also QUITE salty. on the other hand, the sweet potato puree and kale were perfectly flavored and balanced the tempeh quite nicely. lindsay's sausage and rice was an interesting combo (cajun and indian) -- definitely a blend of flavors (much like the restaurant itself -- french and japanese). and pretty yummy regardless.

last but not least, dessert! linds was shocked that i chose the m lato (a macrobiotic ice cream) over the chocolate ice cream sandwich. but i knew she was going to order it, so why not try something random, y'know? i must admit that i preferred hers more (thank god she was so fabulous and shared half!) b/c i do like chocolate. (though we felt shortchanged on presentation and thought her dessert needed some sort of chocolate or raspberry drizzle to top it off. or maybe even a faint dusting of confectioner's sugar? i swear, we all watch way too much food tv.) plus the m lato was banana nut flavored (i think) with a few chunks of banana on the side -- and i don't really like banana (it's a convenience fruit). thankfully, it wasn't *too* sweet the same way that the entree was slightly *too* salty. but who wouldn't prefer choc chip ice cream (at least that's what i think it was) b/w 2 chocolate cookies? (yes, linds, you called it!)

all in all, the meal was FABULOUS. need i say more?

Chaya Brasserie Beverly Hills
8741 Alden Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310.859.8833

http://www.thechaya.com/bhindex.htm

btw, the regular menu was amazing too, though i barely got to look at it, as we were conversing about some fascinating gossip that totally distracted me.

p.s. camelia says that m cafe de chaya is YUMMY (or good, or whatever normal people say) and GREAT for veggies. so FYI: http://mcafedechaya.com/