After a lengthy break, Elkeer and I are finally back in the saddle again strapping on ye olde feedbag. We celebrated with a visit to a local neighborhood foodie spot, Girasol, founded in July 2013 by chef C.J. Jacobson, from Bravo’s Top Chef. Fresh from a stint at the world-famous Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, Jacobson strives to incorporate the same techniques, with ingredients foraged from Angeles National Forest. After seeing a show about Noma earlier in the year, I was thrilled to have a little taste of it in my own backyard.
I walked the three short blocks from my house to the restaurant and was welcomed into a classy, cozy space with gorgeous swirling white paneled and stone-tiled walls. The tables were a little too close together, but fortunately, we only had neighbors on one side. Our waiter was friendly and fun, offering recommendations of favorite dishes.
We started with the mussels (my first experience with mussels!) and they were good, but the very best part was the sauce (and I can’t remember for the life of me what the sauce consisted of, but I’m pretty sure there was cilantro in it. Tangy and full of flavor!)
For a main, Elkeer opted for the Crispy Duck Confit with lentils, mushrooms, huckleberry, and charred wild California juniper. I am not a big fan of duck, but this was pretty perfect. I didn’t sneak a taste of anything but the duck, but Elkeer seemed to really enjoy the entire dish.
I decided on our waiter’s favorite entree, the signature Whole Fried Red Snapper with crispy greens, citrus and a sauce of fermented fresno chili, kumquat and sorrel. I’m usually not a fan of ordering fish with the face still attached, but our waiter insisted it was amazing, so I caved and I was glad I did. The fish itself was really flavorful and the sauce was lovely, but for me the real star was the crispy greens! I’ve never had greens like that before and I am still thinking about them five days later. Perfect taste, great texture, and so very unique. I’m a fan.
He looks a bit peevish, but can you blame him?
We finished up by making our waiter pick a dessert for us: “You choose which dessert you think we’d like best. And you’d better be right.” Lucky for him, he chose well. The chocolate brownie cake with homemade salted caramel gelato, sable cookie crumbs and on a bed of stiff chocolate pudding was divine, particularly the gelato. It was hands down the best caramel gelato ever.
I will definitely return to Girasol, maybe not always for a full-out splurge (it’s pricey), but I plan on sampling the appetizers one by one on days when I need a little pick-me-up. Well done, Girasol!