Ma Bé’s menu, annotated: Reading between the lines

Understanding the modern menu is tricky business. Even when it’s written in English you almost need a primer to decipher what is being served. This ought to help.

See also Ruth Reichl’s full review: “Perfect to a Fault: Ma Bé’s Thoroughly Modern Menu Is Too Smart for Its Own Good”

Ma Bé Menu

STARTERS

FRESH OYSTERS with maui onion^1,2, fresh ginger & lime salsa..........$7.50

¹ No self-respecting modern menu would offer ordinary onions when big bucks can be spent for what are considered the sweetest onions of all.
² A touch of friendly exoticism for what is essentially diced Maui onions and lime juice. Helps sell the oysters, which are traditionally slow moving unless there is an interesting sauce.

STEAMED CLAMS with diced vegetables and saffron³..........$8

³ Trendy and expensive, saffron adds color and prestige.

THINLY SLICED TUNA & SALMON⁴ marinated in lime & olive oil with cucumber salad..........$8

⁴ Bonus points: not called carpaccio, sashimi or ceviche.

SALMON AND AVOCADO TERRINE with tomato and fresh coriander⁵..........$8

⁵ One cook’s coriander is another cook’s cilantro. See Note 16.

⁶ GOAT CHEESE, BASIL & BELL PEPPER FLAN with radicchio, arugula & fennel..........$7

⁶An amazing foodie feat: Somehow includes every trendy foodstuff of the last five years and transforms flan — most commonly a dessert made with egg custard — into a savory dish.

LOBSTER AND CRAYFISH SALAD with fresh haricots verts⁷ and a fresh herb dressing..........$9

⁷ French green beans: At their best they can never be too rich or too thin.

SWEET CARROT⁸ & GINGER CREAM SOUP..........$4.50

⁸ It really is sweet. New agricultural technology can be used to slow a carrot’s growth, and this causes it to be sweeter.

BAKED EGGPLANT rolled with smoked mozzarella^{9, 10} & radicchio..........$7.50

⁹ Foodie nostalgia.
¹⁰ Smoking is out for people but in for cheese, meat and fish.

CARPACCIO OF BEEF with fresh artichoke hearts & Parmesan..........$8

BUFFALO MOZZARELLA with marinated eggplant and zucchini..........$6.50

CRISPY DUCK SALAD¹¹ on a bed of mixed baby lettuces with walnut oil dressing..........$8

¹¹ Pre-radicchio foodie nostalgia: a variant of the signature dish at Ma Maison, the kitchen that lured chef Claude Segal from Paris to Los Angeles.

GAZPACHO “California Style”¹² with fresh tuna and salmon..........$5.50

¹² Sleek, not chunky; mild, yet zingy; fresh and tart--much like the ideal Ma Bé customer.

GRILLED JUMBO SHRIMP wrapped in pancetta and fresh basil..........$9.50

SALMON, WATERCRESS & MANGO SALAD with citrus dressing..........$7.50

GRILLED SEASONAL MUSHROOMS with fresh garlic, extra virgin¹³ olive oil..........$6.50

¹³ But of course.

MIXED BABY LETTUCE SALAD..........$5

PASTA

* VEGETABLE RAVIOLI with red & yellow bell pepper purees and purple basil ¹⁴..........$6.50 (appetizer) / $12 (entree)

¹⁴ The asterisk signifies dishes made with no oil, butter or dairy products — perfect for those who feel they must sacrifice during the entree course so they may pig out at dessert.

PAPPARDELLE¹⁵ with wild mushrooms and squab..........$13

¹⁵ Fat ribbon pasta — what automatically comes to mind when someone says noodles.

* ANGEL HAIR with scallops & shrimp in a fresh tomato & cilantro¹⁶ sauce..........$7.50 (appetizer) / $14 (entree)

¹⁶ See Note 5. Two cunningly different words for the same exotic parsley. Here, the word cilantro adds a Southwest touch.

BLACK RAVIOLI¹⁷ with crab and lobster..........$7.50 (appetizer) / $14 (entree)

¹⁷ Squid ink puts this ravioli in basic black; it’s the only pasta that wouldn’t feel out of place in an after-hours club.

* GARLIC LINGUINI with fresh tomato and basil..........$6 (appetizer) / ENTREE: $11 (entree)

PASTA SAMPLER¹⁸ FOR TWO OR MORE.... $13 per person

¹⁸ For those still caught in the grazing trend.

FISH — MEAT — POULTRY

MESQUITE GRILLED AHI TUNA^{9 10} with artichoke, sweet garlic and lemon thyme..........$17

^{9 10} See Notes 9 and 10. More foodie nostalgia. More smoke flavoring.

RED SNAPPER with coarse black pepper in a pinot noir sauce¹⁹..........$16

¹⁹ For Claude Segal groupies — this is one of his signature dishes.

* GRILLED NORWEGIAN SALMON with zucchini blossoms²⁰ in tomato & cilantro sauce..........$18

²⁰ Outrageously expensive and practical at the same time: After the flowers are used, there are all those zucchini left--handy as vegetables.

JOHN DORY²¹ grilled with aromatic vegetables and saffron³..........$18

²¹ Ugly fish with a dignified name. Used for its tasty meat; chefs like it because it doesn’t mush up.

SAUTEED SHRIMP with garlic, tomato, white corn, red onions and basil..........$19.50

SCALLOPS AND LOBSTER in a light orange ginger butter²² with baby vegetables¹⁰..........$22

²² Light tells you it’s good for you; butter tells you it’s not.

* GRILLED BREAST OF CHICKEN with sweet garlic,²³ roasted eggplant & bell peppers..........$15

²³ Garlic without fear: It’s blanched twice, then roasted for an hour; takes the edge off the odor.

MESQUITE^{9, 10} CRISPY DUCK with pear, ginger & spinach marmalade in a merlot sauce..........$18

CRISPY SWEET BREADS with grapes, honey & vinegar..........$17.50

GRILLED CALVES LIVER and crispy onions with sweet garlic mashed potatoes²⁴..........$15

²⁴ You can bet “sweet garlic mashed potatoes” — not liver — sells this dish.

SAUTEED VEAL PAILLARD²⁵ with cilantro and lemon..........$19.50

²⁵ Can be either a medallion (fat) or a scallop (thin).

VEAL CHOP MESQUITE GRILLED^{9, 10} WITH shitake mushrooms and cipolini onions²⁶..........$22

²⁶ Sweet, but not as sweet as Maui onions. Cipolinis are tiny, odd-shaped and imported from Italy.

GARLIC ROASTED LAMB RACK with a light crust of fresh bread crumbs & parsley..........$22.50

DRY AGED NEW YORK STEAK with homemade French fries and grilled seasonal mushrooms..........$19.50

VEAL SHANK “fanned” with caramelized pearl onions and summer vegetables..........$16.00

LAMB LOIN in puff pastry²⁷ with basil, fresh pasta & julienned vegetables..........$22

²⁷ For members of the thirtysomething generation who think Beef Wellington is for their parents, but eagerly devour the remarkably similar lamb wrapped up in pastry.

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