The Foundry on Melrose was solid in November, but a little subdued. Eric Greenspan’s restaurant takes on new life in summer when the patio opens. The yellow-walled, open-air space provides an oasis to food-focused people who are looking to escape the trendoids who flood Melrose in the summer.

Greenspan lifted the lid on his covered patio to reveal a more vibrant, less clubby atmosphere. The night was warm and jazz filled the air, helping to make the experience plenty pleasant.

The Foundry produces consistently impressive breads, including tomato rubbed brioche topped with shaved Parmesan.

We also received soft focaccia squares with balsamic vinaigrette that had good acidic bite.

Our Amuse Bouche was serious, a glass of creamless “creamed corn” soup capped with a fritter, crab salad, a single morel and a tiny sprig of tarragon. The combination was sweet, earthy and crispy, and we were just getting started.

Since my last visit, Greenspan made the menu more democratic. Before, you could only order 5 appetizers, 5 entrees or the tasting menu. Now you can get the bar menu on the patio, and he’s even added a “Patio Burger” to his repertoire. Greenspan invited us to the patio to experience dueling tasting menus, which would normally cost $80 per person.

Greenspan’s take on Tuna Tartare was highly original, featuring a square of minced ahi, fried peanuts (and peanut skins), sweet plum and smoky eggplant. The tartare featured plenty of flavors, but they were all complementary.

The plate across the table hosted silky sea scallop sashimi with fibrous cuts of jicama, tangy strands of pickled onions and sweet mango. This was a very well balanced dish in terms of flavor, color and texture. Overall, the first courses were a draw.

Caramelized Diver Scallops were solid, seared on both sides and paired with saffron aioli and a Mediterranean-inspired salad of fennel, arugula and sweet tomato confit.

The rival halibut separated in luscious sheets and came with a vermouth foam, crunchy cipollini onions, sugar snap peas, crispy bacon strips and a chunky fava bean puree that provided a much-needed textural contrast. Point to the core menu.

Our final bread course featured tiny biscuits served with a dollop of honey butter studded with nearly caramelized bits of garlic.

The sun went down and my image quality began to degrade, but the food only got better. Duck Confit could have had crisper skin, but the flavor was in full effect thanks to pull-apart duck meat, broccoli rabe tossed with orange segments, broccoli puree and slivered almonds.

Plenty of L.A. restaurants feature pork belly at this stage, but The Foundry’s Mexican-inspired version is one of the best, featuring a meaty square of mole-glazed pork served on creamy avocado puree. With the pork, we received a fried masa “wonton” and salad of epazote, cotija cheese and tangy, thin-shaved pickled vegetables: cauliflower and carrot. The duck was good, but pork belly reigned supreme in the third course showdown.

Our final savory course centered on thin-sliced New York steak that was pink at the center and cooked-through at the edges. Still, I prefer a more pronounced sear. My accompaniments were fairly classic: fat asparagus spears, fingerling potatoes and whole red wine-soaked shallots. One nice touch: a chewy cheese tuile.

For the third straight course, the plate across the table was victorious. The brown butter whipped potatoes were rich but not cloying, and they came with a refreshing salad of sliced caper berries, onions and roasted pepper strips.

Pastry Chef Mario Ortiz, previously with Bastide, has been at The Foundry for over a year. He makes sure to change the menu on a monthly basis, at least.

Unfortunately, Ortiz’s first dessert didn’t work for me. The slabs of Mango Flan were almost gelatinous. The thin, crispy Italian cookies were a nice textural contrast, but the passion fruit marmalade was overly sweet. The accompanying frozen yogurt had good consistency and an intense curry flavor.

Once again, the straight-from-the-menu dish prevailed. The strawberry shortcake was terrific, featuring roasted strawberries, flaky cake-like pastry and a scoop of aromatic lavender ice cream.

The only soft spot in The Foundry’s arsenal was their cocktails. Plenty of their signature cocktails sounded good on paper, including the Fuzzy Wuzzy ($9) with Cazadores Anejo tequila, ginger, honey and peach; and the Consigliere ($13) with Woodford’s Bourbon, Amaretto and fresh grapefruit. Unfortunately, the grapefruit flavor was nowhere to be found in the Consigliere and both cocktails suffered from fast-melting ice.

With so many dishes, some are bound to be better than others, but Greenspan left an overall positive impression. It was interesting to contrast the tasting menu with the regular menu. If you’re thinking of eating at The Foundry, it’s probably better to stick with the core menu.

Related Posts

1. The Foundry on Melrose – Los Angeles, CA – November 20, 2008
2. Greenspan Guarantees Experience at The Foundry
3. Tavern (Bonny Doon Lunch) – Los Angeles, CA – June 9, 2009
4. Craftbar – Los Angeles, CA – June 22, 2009
5. The Foundry Launches “Lunes Latinos” on Mondays

1. pharmacy technician, June 26, 2010:

   Keep posting stuff like this i really like it

This entry is filed under California, Californian, Los Angeles, Southern California, Westside.