The Foundry on Melrose and Burgundy

There's this really cool promotion out here in LA (also in NY and San Francisco) called Blackboard Eats. It's a discount website where restaurants offer some kind of deal for a thirty day period. We participated at Jar earlier this year, offering a blanket 30% off all the food, liquor and wine list. It's a smokin' deal and a great way to introduce people to a new restaurant.

I've been signing up for a number of them and finally took the opportunity to use one. Kara and I decided to go for a late night dinner at The Foundry on Melrose. It's chef-owned and operated by Eric Greenspan who has worked some pretty reputable places. And at 30% off, we decided we'd better go hungry.

Great atmosphere! We sat on the patio next to a fireplace. The jazz was jammin' out by the front door. The place was pretty full for 9:30 at night. Cool vibe!

I quickly ordered a bottle of Servin 'Premiere Cuvee les Pargues' Chablis 2007 to get us started. I love this wine! It's a killer-value (especially at 30% off). The schtick is that it's supposed to be former Premier Cru vineyards that were declassified because the women of the village didn't want to walk so far away as the vineyard was. So, they knocked it down to AC level. Sounds like a sales pitch, but they write this whole story on the front label, too. Regardless, I really enjoy the wine. Very mineral-driven with a core of green apple and lemon flesh. That little mushroom-y tone is beginning to develop. It was wonderful with the Beer-Steamed Mussels.

We heard so much about the Foundry Burger that we had to order up a burger course between appetizers and dinner. It was pretty good. The bread was a little doughy/chewy for my taste. But the meat was very flavorful. The condiments were extra fancy. Definitely an "upscale" burger. I tend to prefer the really awesome "classic" burgers, myself. Morton's Steakhouse still has one of my favorites to date.

For the burger and dinner, I brought along a bottle of 1999 Louis Latour Clos Vougeot. It was showing great! I haven't had this wine in years. Much softer than I thought it would be showing. Terrific black cherry and pomegranete flavors with chalky tannin, a slightly metallic/iron-like character, truffle, wet earth, and a little green pepper. It was better with Kara's Chicken Confit than with my Rabbit Royale. We also grooved on a pot of Mac & Cheese that may have been our favorite part of the meal.

This is a great "neighborhood" joint and if I lived close by, I'd probably be back regularly. It's pretty inexpensive, too. It was only $150 before the BBE discount (that includes the $50 bottle of wine). And as it turns out, Eric stopped charging for corkage! If you live around there, it's a pretty cool scene. Check it out!