While visiting a coworker in LA, I decided to go to a fine dining restauraunt near UCLA. When I get there, I ask if they have a Prix Fixe menu, and the waiter says he can ask the chef. The chef comes out and introduces himself and says he could do one for me. It’s pretty clear at this point that they think I'm a food critic because I'm sitting alone and asking for a wide range of food.

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The chef brings out the first dish and I talk to him a bit about Chris’ background working in Nomad in Manhattan and says that his business is in the same neighborhood and how I've come to appreciate how much fine dining cares about everything on the table and experience, from the plate to the seat to the flatware. I decide to take notes on my experience because they’d been so kind and planned to offer it to them at the end. I also asks Chris for recommendations of other places I should go to in LA, and Chris said he’s going to group a bunch of his braintrust and come up with a list and give it to me at the end of the dinner. 

Hi Chris and Matthew, 

It was fantastic meeting you both tonight. I really appreciated Chris doing something custom for me with the prix fixe. I also can't thank you enough for the list of places to try in LA. I'll study and treasure it. 

Since you were kind enough to introduce yourself at the start of the meal, I figured I'd take notes on my experience and offer you the feedback since I know one of the best things I can receive for a product I've created with love and care is thoughts on how I could make it even better. Here are the raw notes I took on my phone:
* Tortellini was amazing, by far my favorite dish of them all. I’d eat it four times and still want more. The mushrooms sprouting from what looked like a forest floor. I actually liked the consistency of each bite as well. Some mushrooms were inverted when served, which was all right, but I think the forest floor effect could be pronounced a bit with them all in cap up. Giant tortellini sitting in a small forest. 
* I also loved the shape, feel, and wood of the WNK knife that was served with the main course. A shame, because the meat was exceedingly difficult to cut at times without a serrated edge. 
* The water differences weren’t as pronounced as I would have hoped compared to tap, but were noticeable. I’ve thought a lot about water quality and how it shapes all the food that it goes into. I'd be interested to know how the same pasta or bread might taste when cooked with each of these different waters. 
* The lights above the urinals being held up by a hand caught my eye and I also really, really liked. Only thing was I'm not sure how thematically consistent they were with the very thoroughly modern feel of the dining room. 
* For the dessert, I’d say the blueberry was much too predominant in too many bites. I felt as though the rest of the dish worked very well together. 
* On the booth I was sitting on, the plants encroached too much on my head space I’d say. I noticed people sitting on the same booth whose head kept bumping against the plants as well, which made it feel like leaning back was discouraged.

Best,

Joe Puccio
Co-founder, Coursicle
joe@coursicle.com