é by José Andrés is not only about the food, although the food is incredible, it is truly an experience. Reservations used to be next to impossible and the restaurant recently switched to a ticketing system. With a much high level of commitment, availability for busy Memorial Day weekend was good even one month out.
We booked the 8:30 timeslot and were excited to be taken on a journey. There are only two seatings a night, each with 8 people. We met the others outside at Jaleo and enjoyed our olive branch snack. After chatting a bit, we were taken into the private dining room. The seats were arranged in a semi-circle around the area where the chefs put together each course.
There were over 20 courses and each one was full of love and creativity. I'll spare you the descriptions of each course and point out a few standouts.
-The cheese bites at the beginning set the tone for the meal. The black/white "pebble" was rich and stunning.
-The PB&J was so cool. The bread was light and the "B" was a foie gras spread with the "J" being fresh raspberries. I had never seen a dish like this before. It was so good.
-The crab course was delicate and balanced. Crab meat was served in a crab shell and broth was poured over.
-I have a soft spot for Santa Barbara spot prawns. This course was raw and featured the freshness of the beautiful shellfish. It was my favorite course.
-The largest course was Australian Wagyu cheek with potato gnocchi and morels. The meat melt in my mouth and the lightness of the potato gnocchi paired well with the meatiness of the wagyu.
-Cotton candy empanada - This is such a cool idea. I bet you've never seen anything like it before.
The meal was $320 per person including tax & tip (no drinks) and it was well worth the price for a memorable experience. The interaction with the chefs was so cool and you could tell that they love what they do.