Review content:
The hostess said that if we did not arrive within 15 minutes of our reservation time, we would be placed on a waiting list. This seemed pretentious on a sunday night at 730 when the dining room was only about 1/3 full. Despite this minor hickup, the service the rest of the evening was friendly and professional without being overbearing. Our server was knowledgable and offered her advice only when we soliticted her. The drinks are incredibly strong for such a trendy place, especially the ""Old Fashioned,"" basically bourbon on the rocks. The menu is interesting and unpredictable ranging from modern american, to asian and italian influences. The side dishes, however, follow the New American cookie cutter mold (mac n' cheese, creamed spinach, onion rings, etc.) Appitizers were phenomenal- the yellowtail carpacio is fresh and light; the Tuna Dynamite is an interesting blend of texture. Main courses were well prepared and seemed to be of high quality ingredients, though they were not as exciting as the starters. Braised short ribs were tender but a touch fatty. The tandoori salmon is a beautiful piece of fish, though do not expect anything remotely ""Indian"" in taste besides the papadum garnish. The dessert list contained some unique options including one dessert with avocado (we steered clear of that one). The gooey chocolate, banana, caramel pudding cake is a typical molten center chocolate dessert with a few additional touches including a delcious vanilla bean 'milkshake' that tastes even better poured over the cake. \r
The atmosphere, however, bordered on being too stark. The chairs looked cafeteria like, and tables were almost too far apart as to be unsettling. The twig like stamped metal partitions are interesting, but the restaurat could use a touch of color or white to break up the monotonous gray pallete. Diners are also a mix of trendy young angelenos, and dumpy tourist hotel guests making for an unusual scene.
Pros: service, appitizers, strong drinks
Cons: too stark, too gray, strange mix of diners
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