culina ~ a prix fixe 5-course gluten-free tasting event

Nuvola Di Riso ~ Smilin’ Rice Pudding Mousse with Fresh Berries at Culina

Culina.  A modern Italian, mouth-watering dining experience located in the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

It was a special evening out, celebrating nothing in particular and everything wonderful, and my seester and I dined from their 5-course prix fixe tasting menu.  What a treat!  The catch, to leave my camera at home and not flash the food.  Darn.  However, yes, when the dessert came around, who could resist the smiley staring at us!  Thank goodness for iPhones.

We arrived a little early and sat in their comfy bar, admiring the atmosphere and people watching.  Promptly at 6pm we enjoyed a beautiful window table for two inside the restaurant, with a view of their outdoor patio ~ a floating fire-water fountain, plenty of lounge chairs and heat lamps to keep everyone toasty and comfortable.  It also contains a beautiful, modern living succulent wall – which I’m a sucker for since I’ve dabbled with succulents and pottery since I was a kid.  Inside, the circle/round/bubble chandeliers caught my attention, with lights from the tables bouncing off of them.  So pretty.

Our waiter was friendly, fun and very attentive.  He was well aware of how to tailor to gluten-free, always a happy relief and a positive start to a 3-hour dining event.  We started with a nice glass of Prosecco and the tasting experience began.  I passed on the crackers, tomatoes and olive tapenade, and went straight for my wild arugula salad with fresh grapes, treviso, frisee, white balsamic vinaigrette and parmigiano reggiano.  My seester enjoyed their beef salami and artisan cheese plate, with an assortment of nuts, sprouts and figs.  The presentation was lovely, and the cheese was amazing!

Next came the Polpette ~ American wagyu meatballs in san marzano tomato sauce with parmigiano reggiano and basil for her, while I ordered the Polpo Alla Griglia ~ grilled octopus, marinated pee wee potatoes, fresno chili, arugula and salsa verde.  I know!  My obvious choice since the meatballs contained (glutenous) bread crumbs.  This was my first experience eating octopus, and I’m glad I tried it at Culina.  The combination of just the right mixture on my fork of each ingredient made it an interesting ensemble and yes, even tasty.  The waiter had some fun with me on this, probably due to my facial expressions when asked how it tasted.  I can assure you no tentacles or craziness, and although it didn’t taste like lobster or chicken as he suggested, it did have a similar consistency to a well-cooked lobster.  I probably don’t need to indulge in that again, and so glad I gave it a try.

The chef made us gluten-free Risotto in a very tasty, creamy broth.  Perfectly cooked brown rice noodles!  I skipped the mushrooms (not a fan) and enjoyed every last noodle in the perfectly seasoned sauce.

Time for Branzino ~ Mediterranean sea bass with tomatoes, capers and lemon, and Tagliata ~ sliced new york strip, grilled radicchio, walnuts, gorgonzola, pickled shallots and saba.  We split the dishes and as good as the steak was, the sea bass was my favorite.  Again, just the right dash of ingredients in the sauce, perfectly cooked, beautiful presentation.

Bring on the Tiramisu and the Nuvola Di Riso ~ rice pudding mousse with fresh berries.  Delic!  I have not had Tiramisu this tasty for a long time – really creamy, full of flavor.  I’ve only tried rice pudding a few times, this was exceptional.  The raspberry sauce mixed in with the various berries created a cute smiley face on the plate at presentation.  The strawberry nose was a bit heavy and fell for the first photo, but a little push, and timing, got it to stay for the final.

My seester is always a lot of fun to spend the evening with, no exception last night.  I also want to acknowledge the valet, the host, the waiter, everyone contributed to a really fun evening.  Each one joked a bit with us, we never felt rushed, and even though cameras seemed to be going off a lot towards the end of our dinner with the other diners, I’m OK with my one, adorable smiley dessert photo.  After all, smiles are contagious, and we enjoyed three hours of them.

Their site shows some incredible pics, as I’m sure their facebook page, etc. does too.  Maybe I’ll need to go back another time this year and try something new… and bring my camera ;o).