Message: | Well in my opinion Chinois is a bit overrated. Yes, the food is quite good, but Wolfgang's interpretation of asian food is definately on more of the unsophisticated sweet side. Almost every dish has some sweet sauce over it. But the main problem I have with Chinois is paying the same prices I would at Spago or almost any other high end L.A. restaurant while eating on plastic tables. the decor is absolutely horrible, not to mention cramped and uncomfortable.
For a great overall dining experience I'd highlt recommend Spago Beverly Hills. Absolutely gorgeous restaurant and very good food, especially if you go all out and get the tasting menu. The service "ive experienced is also a good blend of casual, yet professional.
If food at a high end place is your main concern though, I'd definitely opt for Rockenwagner. The man may be the second most famous austrian chef in town, but he is inarguably the better chef of the two. Lat time I was there I had an exquisite combination of smoked salmon and sturgeon on a bed of greens in a potato vinagiarette. The fish, particualrly the sturgeon was absolutely decadent and just melted in my mouth. And my entree? Wow! Slices of pork tenderloin, topped with goat chesse and paired with hazelnute spatzle covered in a cyclinder of baked apple slices. The whole dish was just so brilliantly conceived. Another winner was the salmon entree which I usually find boring in most restaurant salmon preparations. Not this one though. It was a salmon napoleon. Absolutely luscious slabs of salmon perched upon truffled whip potatoes in a basil or maybe artichoke sauce. Climbing high, first was the base of potatoes, followed by some wilted spinach and a slab of salmon, and topped with a potato chip like wafer. then more potatoes, spinach another orgasmic filet of salmon and another potato wafer. MMM... The decor of the place is also kind of art deco and romantic, but our server during our last visit left something to be desired. He was somewhat cold.
Personally I find Josie to be overrated. Sure, the complimentary amuse bouche is good. It's usually a rick little quiche. But overall the majority of what I've eaten there was bland. An impressive looking tagine with cod and moroccan vegetables turned out to be bland, as did an appetizer of sardines. After eating the sardines, I felt they were comparable to canned sardines or perhaps less tasty. The room however is tranquil and classy.
For good french bostro fare, Mimosa does a very good job with such standards as the best french onion soup, cassoulet, bouillabaise with a real soup de poisson, and even an authentic macaroni and cheese. With pork! And their apple tart and creme brulee are both decadent and that says a lot coming from me, since I usually find most creme brulees to be quite unappetizing.
And I absolutely adore Soot Bull Jeep. Sure, other places have more numerous and better prepared panchan, but for overall BBQ, this place is tops. They have everything I could want in an authentic Korean BBQ joint, save the beef tendon. Tripe, beef intestine, whole baby octopus, kalbi, BBQ pork and beef. Oh, and lest I not forget that luscious steak tartare with the raw egg yolk they serve.
Well those are just a few of my recommendations. Enjoy.
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