Citrus at Social Hollywood

Commit this word to your memory: gougers. Gougers are French cheese puffs. They are like delicious bite-size popovers stuffed with a mild cheese and they are heavenly. Just one of the many heavenly creations at Chef Michel Richard's Citrus restaurant at Social Hollywood. Chef Richard won a James Beard award, so the bar was set high. And he met our expectations. The menu is inspired california-french flair, well-prepared, well-plated and oh so tasty. The crab toast was sumptuous, to die for. The onion tart's texture was a bit too mushy for our liking. And for dinner, the table ordered the 72-hour braised short rib, the lamb, a gorgeous poached lobster, and lobster burger served with giant french fries fried in clarified butter. Sinful.

Of course, my personal highlight was the dessert. In addition to the gourmet kit-kat bar, we also ordered the orange souffle. Now I know me some souffles. This souffle was the most technically successful I've ever had. Foamy, rich, luscious texture in the middle with just the slightest crispy top. Cutting it with my spoon was like cutting through air. Very flavorful. It was a party in my mouth.

Yes the scene is very Hollywood, the music at the club next door is unbelievably loud, the waiters are probably better actors than they are waiters, but all is forgiven when the food is this good.