My birthday continues (wow, we certainly know how to stretch out a celebration, right?!). But sadly, the celebration is coming to an end. We’re back to Los Angeles from our weekend in Asheville, North Carolina, but Kevin had one more special night planned — a birthday dinner at Los Angeles’ buzzy Trois Mec.
Eating at the counter at Trois Mec is like being inside their kitchen!
Trois Mec opened in 2013 from the mash-up all-star team of Ludo Lefebvre, Jon Shook, and Vinny Dotolo. The dining space is in an old pizza parlor in a strip mall.
The outside of Trois Mec still looks like a cheap pizza joint in a strip mall– a nod to its previous tenant but also feels like a hidden ‘in the know’ spot
It may look sketchy from the outside. However, as you can see, the interior is a sleek, modern design. Sitting at the coveted counter spaces, you can almost feel the pressure of getting out each course in time. At least I did! On our night, someone accidentally put on too many peppercorns – I’m talking A LOT of them! I could hardly hold back my commentary and shouted “OH NO!!” Clearly, they would not want me in the kitchen. The guy working the line remained calm and slowly removed the excessive pepper!
Sleek interior of Trois Mec, where I felt like a member of the quality control team as I watched from my high top chair from the sidelines!
This isn’t a place you can just roll up. Getting a reservation is one heart-pounding (or maybe table pounding!) experience. Seating is available by advanced tickets only, which must be purchased 2 weeks in advance. Only at 10 AM PT (on the dot) and every other Friday. What? Okay, you can have an email reminder by signing up here so you don’t forget (which is what I did).
When the clock strikes 10 AM, you gotta work fast because you are up against everyone else trying to get a reservation. Over the past 2 years, I missed getting a table 3 times. However, this time amazingly I managed to get a reservation for my birthday! Okay, it was at 6 PM on a Wednesday, but still… I did it! The entire experience is sort of like going on Ticketmaster and buying tickets to U2. Within minutes, you’re out of luck! And at $185 a ticket, you need to make sure you are committed!
We did it! Our countertop seat at Trois Mec – it only took 4 attempts over 2 years!
Once we sat down, our waiter came up and recognized us immediately. Though none of us could figure out how. Kevin got down to business and started to do some sleuthing. I lost interest quickly (hah!) and decided to run to the bathroom to wash my hands. By the time I got back Kevin figured it out! It was the same waiter from our incredible meal 2 years ago for my birthday at the French Laundry in Napa! What a small world. Clearly we were memorable! Or it could be they couldn’t get us out. We stretched out that night to the very end and were the last customers to leave!
Trois Mec does a tasting menu only — with about 5 courses. Here is a selection of what we ate. Enjoy!
Before the meal, you’re presented with a selection of snacks including dumplings filled with avocado, mustard creme brûlée (sweet AND savory), a onion crisp, buckwheat popcorn and cube of crispy tapioca (my favorite!)
Course 1: Bring it on! A light and refreshing tomato ceviche with melon to kick it off
Course 2: Foie gras with corn, miso and pepper. I know this is a signature dish here, but overall not my favorite. At least I tried it!
Course 3: A lightly seared filet of salmon that Kevin got to eat 2 of since I’m allergic. Bonus for him!
Course 4: It tasted A LOT better than this photo looks! This is the pork dish covered with cabbage and garlic cream. One of my favorites of the night.
Bonus course: I always love when you get a special snack along the way. This was an egg nog dessert with churros in the cube-like shapes. Love the presentation in an egg!
Course 5: Final course of dessert which was strawberries with whipped fromage blanc and crushed meringue and fennel
Another fantastic birthday celebration down! But the party isn’t over yet. Stay tuned because Kevin’s birthday is next and we’re off to Salt Lake City, Utah. Then a good o’l fashioned road trip to Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon before wrapping up in Las Vegas. More birthday madness to come!
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