Curtis Stone's Maude Restaurant in Beverly Hills

Maude is named after TV personality and executive chef and owner Curtis Stone's grandmother which opened in Beverly Hills.  The small restaurant seats about 30 people and features a new monthly 9-course menu focused on an in-season ingredient.  The opening tasting menu month featured citrius and in March, the menu included artichokes.   For the month of April, the featured in-season ingredient was peas.

I really wanted to "love" this restaurant.   There has been so much hype in this hard to get reservation at Maude.  Maybe because the month of April was dedicated to peas which is not on too many people's favorite list, but with accomplished celebrity chef and owner, Curtis Stone, at the helm, it shouldn't have been that much of a challenge.  The fixed price menu was $80.00 and the wine pairing was $60.   We elected the wine pairing as recommended by the General Manager and wine director, Ben Aviram, who also helped service the tables.

The first wine pairing was a beer mixed with champagne, Deus.   It is a Belgian Ale and was interesting and somewhat refreshing.
 

The Deus accompanied the amuse bouches that were served.

Burrata with Pea Pesto and Garlic Toast

Rabbit Pie with Pea Foam

I have to admit that the Rabbit Pie was surprisingly my favorite of all the amuses presented.  The crust was perfectly delicate with a tasty braised rabbit shoulder and leg and pea foam and tarragon on top.

Gyro lamb

Fritter

Chateau Jolys, "Cuvee Pauline", Juracon Sec, France 2009

Spring Salad - Spring Onions, Cucumber Lemonade, Radish Flowers, Asparagus, Dried Peas

The Juracon Sec was a nice wine pairing with the Spring Salad.  As the Spring Salad was good featuring various types of peas, it was somewhat ordinary.

Schloss Gobelsburg,"Steinsetz", Kamptal Reserve, Austria 2012

The next wine was from Austria and not one of my favorite.  It was a Schloss Gobelsburg Steinsetz and accompanied the next 2 courses of soup and trout.  I think they could have accompanied these courses with a better wine from a better vineyard.

Peas & Carrots Soup - Pea, Carrot Foam, Puree, Mint

The Peas and Carrot soup was one of my favorite.   The deep pea reduction and the carrot foam gave a very nice taste.

Ocean Trout Crudo with Pea Leaves and Flowers topped with Wasabi Snow

Arnot-Roberts, "Luchsinger", Clear Lake, CA 2013

The next 2 courses were paired with a Luchsinger from a Clear Lake winery, Arnot-Roberts, which was a nice change from the Austrian wine.

Vitello Tonnato - Sweetbreads, Pearl Onions, Wood Sorrel

Bouillabaisse Raviolo - Crab, Shrimp, Goat Cheese

The Bouillabaisse Ravioli was probably my favorite course of the meal.  The peas was actually in the flour of the ravioli.   The bouillabaisse sauce in the ravioli reminded me of a shanghai dumpling that oozes a wonderful liquid that nicely accompanied the bits of crab and shrimp.  The pasta was perfectly done and presented.

Wind Gap, Syrah, Sonoma Coast, CA 2011

  

Lamb Neck - Chanterelles, Ramps, Potato

The lamb neck was accompanied by a syrah from the Sonoma Coast.    The syrah brought out the flavor of the braised lamb that had that gamey muttony taste but softened by the morels and pea puree.   

Pea and Elderberry White Chocolate Ice Cream

The palate cleanser was a nice touch before dessert.  The pea and elderberry ice cream was coated in white chocolate and was a nice transition to dessert. 

Elio Perrone, "Bigaro", Piemonte, Italy 2013

The dessert wine from Italy was a very nice sweet wine and went well with what was to follow.

Frangipane Tart - strawberry, Tarragon Cream, Tangerine Sorbet

Final petite four course offering of sweets:  Matcha almond dragee, pea & ginger shortbread, and yuzu caramel.  The Yuzu caramel was the tastiest and I could have eaten a lot more of them.

Mignardises

Overall, the presentation of each course was excellent and the service was above average.   There was creativity in featuring peas as part of each course;  some worked, some didn't.   Of all the courses served, I would say the Rabbit Pie, Peas and Carrot soup, Bouillabaisse Ravioli, and Lamb Neck were the highlights of the meal.


The other courses, that included the Spring Salad, Burrata with Peas Pesto, Ocean Trout Curdo, and Fritter, although good, were nothing special.  At $80.00 for this prix fixe meal, I had higher expectations for each of the courses served.  Add the $60 up charge for the 3 oz. wine pairing that included an unusual Austrian wine choice, I expected the meal to be at least at the caliber of Providence or even Orsa and Winston.  I would definitely skip the wine pairing because the selection does not warrant the additional $60.    Maybe it was the Peas, but at $180 that includes tax and tip per person, I'm not overly anxious to give this place another try very soon even with the parting homemade granola and yogurt breakfast gift.

Closure of the Ritz Restaurant in Newport Beach

The Ritz is a Newport Beach institution for the last 32 years and it is closing next month because the Irvine company will not renew their lease.   The decor is very upscale and their wine list is extensive.

Newport Beach Restaurant week was a good opportunity to enjoy this restaurant for one last time and at a great price.  They offered a $20 prix-fixe lunch which is a bargain for this place.   The service was EXCELLENT and the decor and ambiance did not disappoint.   It is like going into an old Hollywood joint.  However, with the impending closure, they didn't bother taking down the Christmas decorations which was a bit distracting.  

I had a bad experience about 10 years ago at the Ritz and hadn't been back.  The Newport Beach Restaurant week was an opportunity for them to redeem themselves in my eyes and close on a high note.   The service and atmosphere certainly met and exceeded my expectations.    Unfortunately, for me, the food was a bit disappointing as it did not match their upscale service and atmosphere.

From the prix-fixe menu, I started with their signature Caesar salad which was probably my favorite of the 3 courses.  It was nicely dressed with plenty of shaved parmesan cheese and the lettuce was fresh and crisp even though I don't think they used  romaine.  For the entree, I had the scampi provencale which had good flavor and was nicely seasoned, but the quality of the shrimp was less than I would have expected for the Ritz.  They were meaty but small-to-medium in size with a bed of linguine to help fill you up.   Their best trio dessert sample was the citrus cheesecake.

Shrimp Provencale

Ritz Trio Dessert Sampler

Overall, the lunch was generally good especially at their special prix-fixe price of $20 for all 3 courses.   However, I would have expected more from the Ritz on the food which was a little bit above mediocre.  I believe the Ritz has survived over the last few years on reputation and legacy dining from their loyal and local customers.   I would have been more disappointed if I had paid their normal menu price for the dishes that were served.  

FOOD   3 stars
SERVICE  5 stars
AMBIANCE  4 stars