The ambiance is great and the food was very good (for the most part) at Wilshire. The pricing policies are ridiculous, though. Do they know there's a recession and they should be doing everything in their power to get us to come back?
1st case in point: Martinis were good, but they're $11-14 each, plus a $3 charge if you want a martini glass!! Huh? When was the last time you ordered a martini and it didn't come in a martini glass???
2nd point: We also brought our own bottle of wine, plus ordered a $50 bottle from the wine list (one of the cheapest bottles, actually). According to the wine list, corkage fees are waived if you order wine from the wine list. Unfortunately, after we gave the waitress our credit cards, we noticed we got charged a $20 corkage fee.
We asked the manager about these issues. His response: too bad for us. If we come back, maybe he'd give us some sort of discount. I'm not going to hold my breath.
Regarding the food, most of it was very good. Pear salad - okay. Gnocchi -- good but a little bland. One duck potpie had no duck in it (waiter's response: too bad, it happens sometimes), but the others were excellent. Moroccan lamb stew was very good, but the side garnished didn't really work with the stew. The apple tart was just mediocre. The espresso float with cinnamon donuts was AMAZING.
Will we go back? No way. Too many other great restaurants in LA with better service and pricing.
Pros: Ambiance, most of the food, donuts for dessert!
Cons: Ridiculous upcharges, poor service
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