We had a 2 week long dineLA this fall and I was able to try 3 new restaurants and return to a fourth that I had enjoyed before. The first place I went was Culina at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. This was a restauarant suggested by my friend Robert. It was a wonderful dinner. The room is beautiful with a lovely outdoor patio area for warm weather. The service was perfect, as you would expect from a Four Seasons. The food was fresh, delicious and perfectly portioned. The restaurant is Italian and the main menu appears very authentic. For dineLA, they had the freshest burrata with grape tomatoes, figs with ricotta, a beautiful piece of steak perfectly cooked to medium rare, and a delicious chocolate dessert, with 3 different textures, mousse, crisp cookie and creamy gelato.
The second place was Susan Feniger's Street. This is a very casual place serving interesting twists on international comfort food. The food was quite unusual and the service friendly. I found some challenges in the menu because of my peculiar taste preferences. However, I'm not sure this is a place I would go out of my way to visit. I can see this being a nice neighbourhood place if you lived close.
The third place I went was Ortolan. This is a french restaurant, and the room is absolutely beautiful. They only served the dineLA menu, we had to ask to see the regular menu. When we did we realized what a bargain the prix fixe price was. Typically they serve a $75 prix fixe or a $95 tasting menu. A la carte entrees are between mid $30s and high $40s! We got our three courses for $44. The food was exceptional. Every dish was beautiful from top to bottom. I had a braised short rib, which was dependably well done, but the polenta that it sat on was some of the most delicious corn I've ever had. The desserts were equally exceptional. My one disappointment was that the level of the service was lacking for a restaurant of this calibre. The hostess was a little spacey, and the main server was a bit brusque for my taste. The secondary service people were terrific though-the man who brought us the delicious bread and the man who brought out and explained each dish (which was a nice touch, I sometimes forget the details of what I've ordered). This is a special occasion restaurant, or one to go to on an expense account. They do have a $55 4 course prix fixe during the week.
The final restaurant was chosen due to convenient location but I'd been there before for a pre-theatre dinner and enjoyed it. Magnolia is only a couple of blocks away from the Pantages. The dineLA menu is special for the week, there aren't any dishes pulled from the main menu, which is nice. The room is dark and modern and the food is quite good, but at this price range, it's also more common. The service is friendly but our table is positioned a little too closely to an adjacent couple (who's conversation was not at all interesting to eavesdrop on!).
This was a particularly successful dineLA now that I've discovered a couple of great new restaurants.
No comments:
Post a Comment