Eating chef Jordan Kahn's hyper-conceptual creations out of a terrarium, as many dishes at Red Medicine are served, is nothing if not fun. But it's especially rewarding when what's at the bottom of that glass globe is as perplexing and delicious as brook trout roe under rice pudding with quince and sea herbs. The terrarium is no gimmick. OK, maybe it is, but it's a gimmick with a purpose — many of these Vietnamese-influenced dishes are landscapes as much as food. Miniature tundras of unfolding flavors, they're as beautiful to look at as they are delicious. Kahn's not-yet-3-year-old restaurant is still as ambitious as ever, the menu as full of architectural dishes like charred uni with cauliflower custard, Chinese sausage and plantain, or young turnips with roasted banana, banana vinegar and fermented black bean. Kahn's origins as a pastry chef are on full display in the way he conceives of dishes, in his attention to presentation and in the fact that the desserts here are incredible. There's a lot of whiz-bang cooking happening right now in L.A., but very little of it is as successful and enjoyable as the offerings at Red Medicine. 8400 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; (323) 651-5500, redmedicinela.com. Daily, 6-11 p.m.; bar and bar menu nightly until 2 a.m. Plates $9-$36. Full bar.


Besha Rodell's Introduction

Anne Fishbein's Photography

The Google Map

 

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Bestia
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Chichen Itza
Chung King
Cole's
Coni'Seafood
Cube Cafe & Marketplace
Din Tai Fung
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Fred 62
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Hayat's Kitchen
El Huarache Azteca
Huckleberry
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Jitlada
JTYH Heavy Noodle II
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Kogi Truck
Krua Siri
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Little Dom's
Lucques
Ludo Truck
Lukshon
Mariscos Jalisco
Matsuhisa
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Musso & Frank
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa
Nickel Diner
Night + Market
Oinkster
Osteria Mozza
Pann's
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