Quartier chic pour restaurant classe, tel est le Bon restaurant du 16ème arrondissement de la capitale.
Déjà habillé par Philippe Starck dans les années 90, le restaurant réitère l'expérience en s'offrant une décoration superbe et pleine d'humour. De l'extérieur, une immense baie vitrée ouvre le restaurant sur la rue pour une mise en scène "interactive". A l'intérieur, une dizaine de "Gun" - éléments ornés d'armes à feux - montent la garde tout le long de l'impressionnant corridor qui mène à un fumoir puis à la salle principale. Là, lustres vertigineux et alcôves ostentatoires décorent une salle tout de blanc parée. Pour les plus curieux d'entre vous, la salle "Jolies madame" vous accueille juste à côté pour un déjeuner "plaqué argent" tandis que les lampes Vallauris - en forme de coquillage - diffuse une lumière tamisée et propice aux confidences.
"Décomplexion" également dans les assiettes avec une carte inspirée des saveurs extrêmes orientales et qui marie aussi bien le "foie gras de canard laqué, crispy rice" que le "black Cod" caramélisé ou "l'émincé de veau, gingembre, shiitakes". La carte des vins offrent un panel tout aussi large et Armel Cousin, ancien sommelier de la Maison du Danemark vous conseille sur les nombreux nectars de la maison.
Vrai restaurant italien aux allures de bistrot avec des produits frais, des vins venant direct du pays, en prime un accueil chaleureux et surprenant parce que drolatique et familiale !
Un coup de cœur particulier pour le Salon.
L'idée était de faire une décoration croisière années 40. Pari gagné, le naufrage de cette institution de 1880 est ainsi évité, après la réouverture en juin 2001. Les acajous, les marbres, les bois sombres et exotiques, les cuivres confèrent à ce "navire" une ambiance chic, avec une vue imprenable sur les îles et l'horizon. Un comble : la décoration l'emporterait presque sur la vue. La carte propose principalement du poisson, dont une bouillabaisse faite de filets. De l'entrée "Langoustines en piqué cuites à la plancha, Espouma de maïs truffé, chips pour grignoter", en passant par les plats "Cabillaud cuit moelleux, fondue d'aubergines et carottes meunières, jus de volaille à la citronelle" : tout ou presque flirt avec la mer. 
Joe’s on Abbot Kinney has always had the greatest lunch deal in the Fine Dining World. Entrees run $12-16, and they include either a soup or salad. His soups are incredible. Always vegan, and always a fine, silky puree. This one is butternut squash. All I really need for lunch is a slightly bigger bowl of soup, and a couple slices their dill bread with sweet butter and tapenade.
I had the porcini-dusted salmon, with a porcini puree and pancetta gnocchi. The gnocchi were little fluffy pillows with a piece of pancetta inside, and the porcini puree was creamy with an acute porcini flavor. My only gripe was that the salmon came cooked on the rare side of medium rare, and just to raw for my taste. I should have specified.
My notoriously finicky friend (but I am working on that - to great success, by the way) had the steak, which she said was incredible. Also cooked on the rare side of medium, but she enjoyed it anyway. 
For $17 they offer a prix fixe lunch, consisting of three courses, and a $5 wine selection. What a deal. Swift, friendly service, elegant yet casual atmosphere, I always look forward to my next visit.
Once Los Angeles became accustomed to this restaurant's unusual name -- "Lucques" is a variety of French olive, pronounced "Luke" -- local foodies fell hard for this quietly and comfortably sophisticated home of former Campanile chef Suzanne Goin. The old brick building, once silent star Harold Lloyd's carriage house, is decorated in muted, clubby colors with subdued lighting that extends to the handsome enclosed patio. Goin cooks with bold flavors, fresh-from-the-farm produce, and an instinctive feel for the food of the Mediterranean. The short and oft-changed menu makes the most of unusual ingredients such as salt cod and oxtails. Standout dishes include Tuscan bean soup with tangy greens and pistou, grilled duck breast served alongside braised red cabbage with chanterelle mushrooms and chestnuts, braised beef short ribs with potato purée and horseradish cream, and a perfect vanilla pòt de crème for dessert. Lucques's bar menu, featuring steak frites béarnaise, omelets, and tantalizing hors d'oeuvres (olives, warm almonds, sea salt, chewy bread), is a godsend for late-night diners, and the bartenders make a mean vodka Collins. Tip: On Sundays, Lucques offers a bargain $40 prix-fixe three-course dinner from a weekly changing menu.
Built as Charlie Chaplin's private offices in 1928, this Tuscan-style building has a multilevel layout with flower-bedecked interior
balconies, a bubbling fountain, and a skylight through which diners can see the campanile (bell tower). Consistently ranked as one of L.A.'s finest restaurants, a meal here might begin with fried zucchini flowers drizzled with melted mozzarella or lamb carpaccio surrounded by artichoke leaves -- a dish that arrives looking like one of van Gogh's sunflowers. Spago alumnus chef/co-owner Mark Peel heads up the kitchen and is particularly known for his grills and roasts. Try the wood-grilled prime rib smeared with black-olive tapenade; pappardelle with braised rabbit, roasted tomato, and collard greens; or the rosemary-charred lamb with artichokes and fava beans. The weekend brunch is a surprising crowd-pleaser and a terrific way to appreciate
this beautiful space on a budget. One of the most popular nights is still Grilled Cheese night on Thursdays, when the bar fills up with regular fans of haute versions of the childhood treat. Tip: On Monday nights chef Peel offers a $35 three-course family-style themed menu that's been voted Best Monday Night Dinner by Los Angeles Magazine.
Chef Eric Greenspan’s polished California fare is on display at this modern bistro and from the looks of the people flocking to it, it’s hitting all the right notes. More sophisticated than neighboring Melrose Bar & Grill or The Village Idiot, the vibe is upscale and elegant. Greenspan, who worked in the kitchen at the original Patina, describes it as “fine dining for the everyday man,” which is to say good, well-made food with high-end ingredients but without the pretension and fuss. The space fills up quickly and it can be noisy and crowded, especially with the almost-nightly live music emanating from the lounge in the front. If you sit on the patio, you’ll have a considerably more subdued meal – better to enjoy the Jidori chicken, beef short ribs, veal three ways or the daily tasting menu for $75. Better yet, request the chef’s table situated directly in front of the kitchen for a different experience altogether. But don’t get too attached to any one dish because the menu is updated constantly.
TIPS: Expect a wait, sometimes even with reservations. There is live jazz Thursday through Saturday nights and during the day on Sundays. Three, four and five course prix fixe menus are offered on Sundays for $29, $39 and $49.
Each new hotel and hotel expansion brings a host of new restaurants, usually with a Food Network star or other celebrity chef attached. The most notable at this moment is B&B Ristorante in the Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tel. 702/266-9977; www.venetian.com/BBREST.aspx), a project from Mario Batali that seeks to rival his home base, Babbo, in terms of quality.
Fresh ingredients and simple preparations meet at this steak house
Articles
Commentaires
