APL Restaurant

I don’t think there was ever a boycott or moratorium. We are all free to make our dining decisions based on the experiences of our fellow diners.

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I have read enough to cancel my res next weekend, and replaced it with another Bavel visit. If things start improving in a few months, I will give it a try.

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I’m pretty big on QPR, and theirs sounds pretty low. Also, I try not to patronize businesses run by jerks, and (what with the knives and onions and all) this guy strikes me as a major-league douche.

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It seems a lot of disappointment is from comparing APL’s dishes to signature dishes at Lang’s previous restaurant and pop-ups. This might create the expectation that preparations at APL will be the same. I for one don’t mind a big, beefy rib dressed only with salt, pepper and oil or melty butter. It’s like an “ode” :roll_eyes: to a good steakhouse steak except it’s a rib. But I am only an occasional beef eater, not a big fan of Texas-style que, have barely heard of Lang and have never had his food (that I know of), therefore have no expectations except for dishes to be prepared perfectly and to have an enjoyable dining experience at an according price. But this doesn’t seem to be the case, further exacerbating the fury of his fans.

It makes no sense to me. APL painstakingly builds his rep in LA doin his down home Jimmy Kimmel lot BBQ pop up thing for what 4-5 years in a row. All this foundation building work culminating to what? a (hastily opened) formal high falutin’ $$ steakhouse that very few of this early-supporter base can likely ever afford…or want to afford.

Screw odes to Lugers…get the steakhouse basics done right first dude. He hasn’t even earned the right as a high-end steak restauranteur to drop nods to legendary spots yet. Also, cool for you and your fancy bespoke knives but concentrate on getting your food right first yo.

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Ditto, if I hear a chef is a screamer it’s a major turn-off.

In fact it may have been done to bring controversy and get their name out there. Easy fix to just make it free in the future but will have built up the brand in the meantime.

According to @Chowseeker1999 they’re now $3.00.

At that point, just comp them. I think $3 is, somehow, even more insulting … though perhaps that’s because we know the history of how the dish ended up there.

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Thanks @Chowseeker1999 and @PorkyBelly for taking one for the team. Was planning on going this week but canceled reservations due to these reviews.

FTC continues to be a goldmine for good dining insight!

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I have no “steak” in this issue but from what little I know of this chef is that he wowed a lot of folks with his BBQ talents.

I just watched the BBQ episode of Ugly Delicious. APL is hanging out with David Chang doing BBQ on a couple of the segments. He was doing the BBQ in the town of Lawndale (our South Bay).

So he comes to LA after establishing his BBQ prowess and opens a steak house? There is meat and heat in both BBQ as well as a steak house, but that’s it. Kershaw or Ohtani make their name throwing strikes in the high 90s but decide that lobbing softballs slow-pitch is now their go-to pitch?

I’d be flustered with his decision. Maybe sustaining a BBQ operation is too difficult (compared to a steak house)? Do logistical issues in LA play into this? Maybe APL is just changing gears or expanding his love for meat? The ode to Luger’s does seem weird, especially since they’re in New York and LA is on the opposite side of the country, literally thousands of miles away (or maybe he is creating distance so he can applaud Luger’s instead of compete with them).

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“Cold Sweet Onions - $3” vs “Cold Sweet Onions - An Ode to Peter Lugers - $10”

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Cold hard lessons for cold hard cash.

Do you think there may have been problems with the build-out regarding being able to barbecue in the heart of Hollywood? There are an awful lot of air-quality rules in California, especially in Los Angeles.

The “ode to Luger” should have been the schlag.

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That’s a thought, but Bludsoe’s pulled it off. There are plenty of wood-fired pizza places around as well.

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I thought about that, but as @ebethsdad has pointed out, others have accomplished this in LA.

I also have to wonder (as others have already mentioned) that if APL was to be a neighborhood joint, what neighborhood? Also, who eats steaks and other large cuts often enough at those prices to consider this their neighborhood place? Based on my limited knowledge, so many things are askew.

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I agree. I know nothing about Adam Perry Lang so I can’t speculate as to what his motive was. Whatever it seems a shame. Great BBQ is not that easy to find in LA. The demise of Maple House attests to this. There are great steakhouses here. Hollywood and Vine is not a neighborhood where the residents will pay the prices he is charging.

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Or, for Paul Hogan fans:

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I think that’s true, though to be clear, I think not saucing the beef rib is an improvement. I generally prefer smoked meat with little or no sauce.

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