I’m extremely fortunate to have a cousin that shares my passion for great food. Because of that interest, my wife and I get together with her and her husband and we dine at various places and share plates. It’s only because of them, that I’ve made some progress in eating my way through Jonathan Gold’s Top 101 Restaurants. Our most recent experience was at Odys and Penelope.
I selected the wine that we were to enjoy that evening. Since there seemed to be a shortage of familiar California wines, I selected the Tolaini Al Passo Toscana 2012. This wine was a Sangiovese blend light on tannins. I thought it was a good wine to pair with our dinner selections.
Wood and fire are at the heart of Odys and Penelope where meats and vegetables are simply prepared over a wood-fired smoker and open grill. The menu features a robust selection of small plates and larger mains of meats, seafood and vegetables.
Airy cheese puffs with romesco sauce
One of the restaurant’s most popular items is their cheese puffs. Similar to a popover, they arrived warm on a cast iron plate and had a crisp exterior and a fluffy inside. They were served with a smooth romesco sauce and while the sauce was tasty, we found ourselves enjoying the puffs without the sauce.
Lamb lettuce cups
I was biased when I heard my wife selecting the lamb lettuce cups starter. After the plate arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. The smoked lamb made this dish unique and it was nicely accentuated with yogurt, pickled onions and hummus. “Lettuce cups” made me think Asian and this was a Mediterranean twist that worked extremely well.
Brussels sprouts “fried rice” was heavy on the fried rice and less on the brussels sprouts. It was topped with a fried organic egg and served with a spot of sambal. While I enjoy these flavors, I tried to balance out our protein heavy meal by ordering a vegetable dish.
Smoked tri tip with housemade béarnaise sauce
A good cut of beef can make all the difference between a mediocre dinner and a great one. But when you pair that nice piece of meat with a perfect béarnaise steak sauce, then you have a match made in heaven. Odys and Penelope used what appeared to be a prime cut of tri tip and cooked that on their wood grill. Grilled broccolini made you feel less guilty about eating this rich dish.
Grilled squid stuffed with chorizo hash with a hearty pomodoro sauce
They prepare Monterey squid in an unusual way. Instead of creating calamari rings, the squid body is separated at the tentacles. The tube is stuffed with chorizo hash and the tentacles are fried in a light batter. The stuffed squid tube is grilled and served on top of a hearty pomodoro sauce. I enjoyed this much more than eating calamari rings.
Pappardelle with bolognese sauce
I was surprised that the menu had so many dishes that I happen to enjoy. Bolognese is my favorite pasta sauce because the flavors of wine, tomatoes, butter, meat, and spices, when combined, make for a tasty sauce. The pappardelle was freshly made in-house and was the perfect pasta because the sauce naturally adhered to the wide noodle.
Smoked Short Rib w/ bbq sauce
“Short” is a misnomer for their short ribs. They are smoked in applewood for 8 hours and arrive to the table fork tender. Our huge “short” rib arrived scored in sections so that we could easily separate the meat into four equal portions. It is far more common to braise short ribs and it was a treat to experience slow smoked short ribs. This was delicious!
Caramel Cake
Banana Cream Pie
For dessert, we selected the Caramel cake and their Banana Cream Pie with bitter chocolate sorbet. The Banana Cream Pie arrived like a sandwich. The bottom was like a cookie and it was topped with a French meringue disc sprinkled with cocoa powder.
Odys and Penelope, 127 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036; (323) 939-1033
http://www.odysandpenelope.com/