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71 Above: Dining above the rest in LA

Welcome to 71 above, the penthouse of LA is the "highest restaurant west of the Mississippi"
After the second day of SIGGRAPH, NVIDIA was kind enough to invite me to dinner at 71 Above. Which was a mere stones throw away from our hotel in the Los Angeles Downtown area. It had recieved high praise from other members of the NVIDIA team who dined there earlier, so we booked our table and came out for dinner.

 https://www.71above.com/

After arriving at the US Bank Tower and navigating the two separate elevator rides to arrive at the 71st floor and 71 Above, you are greeted by a sweeping dining room with panoramic views of Los Angeles.
Not the view of the the restaurant we were looking forward to.... (from the film Independence Day)

From our window seat, secured by luck with short reservations and no "Window Seat Deposit" which is a thing apparently 
StringGirl is notably absent from these galleries as she decided to before this dinner abandon me forever after breakfast at the very pleasant Boulangerie Pitchoun that morning. It was a sad day but saved by a wonderful meal atop the Los Angeles. 

Chef sent Amuse Bouche of Watermelon chilled soup with Corn Fritters
I have been wallowing in the joys of common food of late, driven by the lack of expense account entertainment funding, and a general lack of immediately accessible fine dining. Not that the places we frequent for work lack find dining, but maybe the neighborhoods we choose are distinctly less than stellar for their choices of finer dining and haute cuisine.
The Corn Fritters were fantastic, though out of focus...
Dinner was 3 courses Prix Fixe at $75 a person, which completely took the pressure off when selecting dinner options on a dinner invitation from NVIDIA.
The Beet as a first course, Chocolate Wheat Berries, Blood Orange, Kumquat, Cocoa Nib
As a result of budgetary pressure of late, dining had become extensively utilitarian: calories to refuel, taste OK, proximity to hotels and offices and transit, and other rather pedestrian concerns. Being a person who loves food, but is distinctly not a "foodie". I have dabbled at foodieism and can talk with foodies with great joy and curiosity, but I haven't yet expressed that clarity of palate to carry foodie status. I've yet to set foot in a Michelin Starred restaurant, eat Foie Gras hardly ever, don't look for tasting menus, and probably miss out on a lot.

This trip to 71 Above, was a rare glimpse at how the other side lives.
Country Egg, First Course, Crispy Potato, Chorizo, Finger Lime, Cilantro
The phenomenon with molecular dining and this absolute obsession with re-imagining and deconstructing everything I missed out on. It was not my thing. But this decontstucted version of an egg and potato fry-up that they called their country egg was pretty amazing.
Octopus Second, BBQ, Za'atar, Lebneh, Stone Fruit, Pickled Onion
Around the table there were several different choices made. The seared-grilled pulpo (octopus) with lebneh, peaches, and pickled onion was a different take on a very Mediterranean staple. The minor blips of lebneh accenting the plate would have made most of the Nona's in the Detroit area cringe and wonder why so little. Placed there for at best presentation and accent, it did not really add much either.
Foie Gras Second, Seared, Almond, Fig, Fennel, Ajo Blanco

Ribeye Third, Baby Leeks, Onion Cream, Mojo Rojo, Tomato Jam, Pine Nuts, Currants

Young Chicken, Breast, Swiss Chard, Beets, Black Truffle, Buttermilk, Dried Cherry, Jus Gras
Chocolate Dessert: Crémeux, Gel, Ganache, Yogurt Sorbet 

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