05 Jul Weekly Pop-up Dinner Series with Chef Bill Corbett All Summer Long!
Chef Bill Corbett made a name for himself as a pastry chef in San Francisco. He studied under some of the best pastry chefs and served as executive pasty chef for Michael Mina, The Absinthe Group and Coi, to name a few. He was named “Best Pastry Chef” by San Francisco Magazine in 2011, “New York’s Rising Star Pastry Chef” by StafChefs in 2007 and named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Dessert Professional Magazine.
Now Corbett is living in Los Angeles and serving up savory vegetarian dishes at a weekly pop-up throughout the summer. The pop-up is located at Lamill Coffee in Silverlake. You can still get a great cup of coffee at Lamill but every Thursday and Friday night, you will enjoy the food of Corbett.
The vegetarian tasting menu will change weekly. And it is very affordable. For $40 you will get four courses, and for another $20 you can get the wine pairing.
On the first week of the pop-up, we took our seats and were served a welcome glass of Lambrusco with orange cream soda. Lambrusco is a sparkling dry red wine from Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. I was initially perplexed by the combination but the sweetness of the cream soda was tempered by the acidity of the wine and resulting in a refreshing drink to start the night.
Artichoke Confit, Black Garlic, Sheep’s Milk Cheese, Lavash (paired with a trousseau gris from the Russian River) – I love anything artichoke and this was no exception. The artichoke heart was delicate to the bite and the sweetness of the black garlic with the earthiness of the sheep’s milk cheese made this a perfect first dish to start with.
Celery Root, Sorrell Puree, Cocoa Nib Crumb (paired with a crisp, herbaceous verdejo from Rueda) – the cocoa nib crumb not only added a textural crunch to the dish but the finish of chocolate was a surprise, but good, combination with the more muted celery root.
“Falafel Plate”, Charred Scallion Tzatiki, Pine Nut Hummus, Carrots in Summac (paired with a rose from Bandol) – I loved the freshness and lightness of the falafel and it was paired with vegetables that added both sweetness and spice.
Basil Ice Cream, Roasted Strawberries, Whipped Ricotta, Olive Oil Cake (with a cup of El Meridiano, a bright floral single origin Columbian coffee) – The herbecaousness of the basil matched with the roasted strawberries was like eating a garden. It was a perfect dessert to end the meal – light and not too sweet.
The four-courses left us satisfied but not stuffed. With the menu changing weekly, it will be exciting to see what other creative vegetarian dishes Chef Corbett creates.
Weekly summer Pop-up Dinner Series with Chef Bill Corbett
Every Thursday and Friday night between 6:30pm-8:30pm
Four-course vegetarian tasting menu ($40) with an optional beverage pairing ($20)
Lamill Coffee
1636 Silver Lake Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026