Ouch… That’s the harshest criticism of Republique and Bestia I’ve encountered.
Kind of curious how they come across as Cal-Med?
It’s not a criticism.
Gjusta uses a number system. If you go at night, there’s basically no wait. And you can call in your order if you’re in a real hurry.
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I’m wondering when your last visit was. I wouldn’t quite say that Gjusta is a comfortable restaurant. They offer counter service after all. But they have a number system, and have for quite some time. So the “helpless” comment is confusing. They have more of a cafe line for quicker items that moves at a decent pace, and the patio now has a number of tables and seats as well as some stretched awning that offers more shade.
I find the place busy, but pleasant enough. I can see an issue with finding a seat somewhere during peak hours, but I guess I’ve been lucky. I had that issue so often at Huckleberry, for example, that I’ve completely given up on the place. I’m empathetic to that aspect. But I think a number of your complaints may no longer be issues if it’s been a significant amount of time since you last visit.
Cheers.
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I’d rather wait the extra time it takes Gjusta to properly prepare the food than to wait less and have them take short cuts or prep certain things ahead of time for the sake of expediency. The trade-off isn’t worth it.
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I personally took J Gold’s comment differently. When one walks into Gjusta, especially for the first time, it can be overwhelming. The counter is a long linear experience full of assorted stimuli as one walks from baked goods all the way to salads - forget the drink counter.
Trying to take in and remember all the offerings and then attempting to mentally assemble a meal(s) is difficult. Then, when one realizes the menu boards in back and above the counter are full of choices as well - and those boards can seem semi-cryptic to those unfamiliar with the choices and possible combinations - the “deer in the headlights” look is a powerful and common visual cue for help that the counter ppeople see regularly. Above, I just described my first couple of visits. And I can see a seasoned diner like J Gold sensing this from some of the customers - possibly even he himself.
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Gjusta is not a restaurant. When I was there, at 2:30 on a Monday in June, well after the lunch rush, every one of the few seats on the patio were occupied by campers who had finished their food and were on their laptops or phones, and nobody left in the 20 minutes we were standing up waiting for our food.
I have no idea why it took 20 minutes to slice some cold fish and put it on a plate. Maybe the fish station guy went on break and no one filled in. It wasn’t even good.
I had posted this a while back. I think it’s from Los Angeles Magazine.
Keep in mind this was a while back
.
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I warned you about dissing their Gjusta @robert. Just teasing westsiders! I plan on making a beeline to the place next time I’m in the area. It seems like so my kind of spot.
That’s sad. I’ve never had an experience like that there, though it’s always a risk at a place without table service. I know the agita and have had particularly bad experiences at Fathers Office and Huckleberry because of that.
I happen to hold the smoked fish, in particular, in high esteem, but it’s hard to enjoy anything when feeling such angst and irritation. I’d say if you can get past the bile your first visit rightly induced, your folllow-up visits may be more enjoyable. Take-out is always an option, too.
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Interesting read. I don’t think the numbering system was in place from the get-go so that couldn’t have helped, either.
I just realized you have to tap on the expand arrows to see the whole thing. Check it out. It’s pretty clever 
.
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I have rarely gotten my smoked fish sampler in less than 10 minutes. I don’t know why, but I assume it’s either because no one in the kitchen is specifically assigned the task or it’s not considered a priority in someone’s duties. But like you, I almost always get something from that part of the counter.
My kind of list. TheOffalo has some good Baroo pics on Instagram.
Part of me thinks: Nobody’s lists will be the same. There’s no accounting for taste.
Part of me thinks: Lukshon is the third best restaurant in LA???
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Vincenti?..
I have no idea where to post this, but I was invited to dinner at Vincenti over the weekend, and if I had not been in polite company, who were treating me to dinner, I would have raised hell in the place.
Absolutely worst meal of 2016 for me. Best item was the free bread and white bean purée.
I snapped some quick photos only of two dishes I had, tagliolini that was about on par with lean cuisine pasta and looked the part:
And the absolute worst duck I have ever had in my life. The leg with skin was so dry I literally choked on it. The breast was cooked to mush and had no flavor. You would expect more out of amateur home cooks who never tried to cook duck before… Literally WTF. Worst think I’ve eaten all year. Somehow it looks ok but looks are deceiving.
They pulled off a few things to mediocrity like meatballs and octopus. There were flashes of acceptability in the lamb fusilli, salmon covered in truffles with sweet potato purée, and the saffron risotto underneath a bland over done Osso Bucco. Desserts were the epitome of mediocrity. This place is still serving molten chocolate lava cake and selling it was “perfection”… Their dessert wine list turned out to be misprinted so all of their rare wines were unavailable leaving only vinsanto and moscato which the waiter desperately tried to sell as rarities.
The service in general was unbelievably stilted and ridiculous. The pretenses of good old fashioned service with none of the actual service…
And to top it off they have to most insane corkage I the city as they charge per person at the table. So that’s $12.50 x 5 = $62.50 corkage. We didn’t open the bottle we brought because of it. At least they had a passable Chianti, probably the best element of the entire dinner.
I have no idea how this place I on Golds list or anyone else’s. One of the worst restaurants in LA because it’s maybe about as good as Olive Garden, but costs about $150 per person.
I I’ll GLADLY eat at Republique a billion times over this place. I take it back too, if you find the service at Vincenti welcoming at all then you will find yourself drowning in love and attention at Republique.
In comparison to Vincenti everyone is treated as if they are dining in the chefs own personal kitchen at Republique. The food is also cooked by a chef not someone trying to haphazardly make lean cuisine seem appetizing and selling it for $40-$50 a plate. Republique would even seem UNDERpriced if Vincenti is your standard…
I cannot fathom a single reason to ever dine at this place except that the tables are spacious, it’s warm inside, and they don’t play any music… This is the hallmark of the type of restaurant I try to avoid eating at at all costs. I thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster thatI wasn’t paying, but then again, I would have flatly refused to pay for anything I ordered other than the complementary bread if I was dining on my own dime. Even eating there for free I feel ripped off.
Cannot recommend against going to Vincenti enough.
Totally mystified that any Chowhound or FTCer would be into this place at all.
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lulz 
I’ve had some pretty lackluster service at Republique. Some good service as well, but you’re exaggerating quite a bit with the above. To top if off, their pacing of dishes can be abysmal.
You realize that line is within the context of a larger post, and the point of it is a comparison to another restaurant right?
Objectively, Republique doesn’t have the best service ever, but compared to Vincenti it’s incredibly warm and inviting. Who knows, the pacing might be somewhat off in a chef’s own personal kitchen as well, but the line was less about Republique and more about Vincenti. The service has never been bad enough to stop me from craving Republique’s food, though.
I absolutely agree with your assessment of Vincenti. Decided to give it a try again, having not been there for several years. Maureen still at the door giving a cheerful welcome. Downhill from there. Food was abominable. At this point, I can’t even remember what we ate, just that we found each dish to be borderline inedible. The one thing I definitely remember is vowing never to return. They recently closed for remodeling. Based on your review, it appears that they only remodeled the interior and not the food.
Yeah, shame, the interior is cozy/nice. I recall the guy at the front of the restaurant who booked us in being the only welcoming, nice guy in the whole place as well.
They mostly seem to specialize in turning food into flavorless mush substances that just resemble food, so it’s not surprising you don’t recall exactly what you ate haha