Jonathan Gold Reviews le comptoir

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Chef Gary Menes assembles his “Vegetable & Fruit Plate” before a captive audience at le comptoir.

Jonathan Gold is the Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer for the LA Times.

This week on Good Food, Jonathan highlights the seasonal produce-inspired tasting menu at Le Comptoir, located within Koreatown’s Hotel Normandie. There are two seatings per night, but reserve early for one of ten seats at the counter, where you’ll get to observe up-close Chef Gary Menes and his team delicately craft the six-course tasting menu items. Each course is a special selection of vegetables and fruits harvested each morning by Menes, who tends to his garden at the Gladys Avenue Urban Farm in Long Beach.

Jonathan’s picks: The “Vegetable & Fruit Plate,” which stars the absolute best of Menes’ seasonal bounty, is just one of his highlights. Do try Trystero Coffee’s Guatemalan Acatenango Gesha pairing to go with dessert.

Location: 3606 West Sixth Street, Los Angeles, CA 90020 (213-290-0750) | lecomptoirla.com

Pro-tip: Treat yourself and resist the temptation to substitute items on the menu for the protein-based options. Let Menes guide your palate—you’ll be glad that you did.

You can find more recommendations by Jonathan here.

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An amuse of perfectly crisped black kale chips with Sicilian olive oil, served alongside a lemon zest-accented crème fraîche. (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)