by Arnold W. on Here's my review of my DineLA experience at XIV by Michael Mina... This place has a "hip" yet classic feeling to it, as you walk in the music is blaring and you feel like you've stepped into a Gap store. There is a fire place, and the chairs are different styles, feels like you're on the set of Sherlock Holmes, sipping on some scotch and eating some fine dining. The kitchen is exposed so you can see everything get fired up, a bar to the left. For the price I was paying I'd prefer it to be quiet and more "classier". It's not a bad thing, it's just personal preference. At least the good thing is the acoustic is so bad and the music is pretty loud that you can't really hear the conversations of people sitting next to you. I came here for restaurant week, so the "regulars" are probably not dining and the standards are a little lower than usual (from my past DineLA experiences). For DineLA it's probably one of the most value restaurants, priced at $44 dinners. Now for the important stuff, the taste of the food: First was the pita and hummus. The hummus isn't your typical hummus; it was quite good and filled my anticipation that good things were to come. (Plus I was pretty hungry, the earliest reservations we could make was at 9:30 PM on an WEDNESDAY!) Tataki of American Wagyu Skirt, Morocccan Spiced Vegetables This was the first course. The portion is big enough to even be considered an entrée. The beef was flavorful, and nicely charred exterior, but not overdone. The spiced vegetables, especially acidity of the pickled pearl onions were a perfect complementary to the strong saltiness of the beef. Jidori Chicken, Truffled Macaroni & Cheese, Broccoli, Caramelized Onion Jus As I ate this, all I could think of was, how do you get that much flavor into chicken!?!? Very delicious. The truffled mac & cheese was pretty good too. I would've wished/or imagined it'd be much richer, but it's good that it didn't take the focus away from the chicken. Nutella Custard, Popcorn Ice Cream, Toast Streusel, Passion Fruit I had the Nutella custard, but I should've listened to my friend and ordered the Yuzu. The Nutella dessert was just okay, definitely not the way you want to end your meal, hence the 4 stars. It was very mediocre and ordinary. Plus it had (one of my most culinary hated items...foam!). The popcorn ice cream is unique but it's not something I'd want to eat more of. The texture of the overall dessert wasn't much of a contrasting appealing to the mouth; luckily the restaurant is lit dimly, so it makes the dark messiness of this dessert blindly. I don't think it looked too appealing. However, both my friends (and another friend recommended) ordered the Yuzu Curd, Sicilian Pistachio Sablé, Jasmine Ice Cream, Pine Needle. It was WOW! It's an indescribable WOW! I can't even describe the depth of flavors. It was probably one of the most sophisticated tasting things I've ever had, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It sure was good though. The ambience/environment is big on me. I think based on the price of the menu; I'd prefer the place to be just a little classier, and the service to be more attentive. The night ended with a mediocre dessert, so it's about a 4.4 rounded down to a 4. I do believe Michael Mina is as talented as advertised. If I could afford it, I'd come back again, only to try the Lobster Pot Pie .... $64!
by Adrianna Penso on This place has been around for as long as I can remember. Back before it was cool to look like white trash and drink PBR, folks with no choice but to do so would usually be found here. A decent place to catch bands that skew towards roots and wild rockabilly. And then there's the Elvis shrine with a picture of "MMMMOOMMUHHH." Quintessential
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