Tonight's dinner is a special one. We had the opportunity to taste Viet's dishes at his friend's establishment, Paiche in Marina Del Rey. Trinh could not make it due to work so instead of going solo I was welcomed by the TJ and Susan for dinner. **Liem your dinner reservation was later than I would have liked. As you can tell, I left by 8pm. I had to make it home so that I can get as much sleep as I can before the baby arrives.
****CLICK on photos to enlarge****
As we were finishing our dessert, Liem popped up. He drove a round trip of 200+ miles from San Diego! It was definitely good to see Liem and finally meet his girlfriend, Cindy.
The two dishes Viet served was delicious, in my opinion the top 3.
My favorite is definitely the scallop (raw scallop pickled with juniper & seaweed, lardo). I wouldn't mind a 2nd serving.
This is Viet's 2nd dish, Ribeye cooked over embers & it juices kale & aged cheese. TJ had the perfect piece which he enjoyed. My ribeye, slighty medium, nonetheless delicious. I really enjoyed the aged cheese (yellowish jam).
3rd dish that I enjoyed was the Pacu Rib (fish), lime miso anticucho, & zapilio puree. I usually shy away from fish skin, but I had to eat it all after realizing how crispy and tasteful it was.
We only had a chance to hang out with Viet for a few minutes before he ventured his way back into the kitchen in preparation for the estimated 200 guests. I was able to snap this photo of TJ, Viet, and Susan before he left. I knew I should have taken one too. Lesson learned. Go for it when you have the opportunity! Who knows when we'll get to hang out again. Thanks for a great night everyone!
