Hmnn. With the picture that @robert posted of the Angler dining room, I’m back on the fence again about whether I want to try Angler. We all have our own aesthetic, but that dining room is most definitely not my aesthetic. To me, it has the look of an upscale country club dining room. And in the Beverly Center to boot. If I try it once, the food would really have to be the best damn food I have ever eaten in Los Angeles to make me want to come back to dine in that ugly to my eyes dining room.
Nothing about the SF Angler is my aesthetic except the kitchen and the food.
Whoever you trust it shouldn’t be “The Infatuation” those guys are a bunch of know nothings. If something’s not instagramable it sucks in their opinion.
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#uglythereforenotdelicious
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It will be really interesting when Bladdison et al review Angler. I doubt Angler (or Cal Mare for that matter) will last even with a favorable review a but an unfavorable review is gonna be Simone-ian.
Simone didn’t need a bad review for it to shutdown and reconcept but it certainly didn’t help.
ice cold bivalves - capital (seattle, wa), kusshi (vancouver island, bc), pacific gold (morro bay, ca), beausoleil (miramachi bay, nb)
oysters were pretty flawless and the cocktail sauce and seaweed mignonette were also highlights.
radicchio with radicchio x.o. #fulltang
i hate radicchio aka ginger lettuce, but this was a revelation. the bitterness was balanced beautifully with the sweetness from the dressing but it didn’t mask the flavor, it was just a perfect complement. highlight.
amberjack
this was fine.
swordfish, olives
highlight of the night. this could not have been cooked any better, it was meaty but still moist, tender and buttery. i hate olives, but these olives were another revelation. i don’t know how they did it but they weren’t bitter at all and almost sweet, i wish i saved some of the olives for the chicken. so much better than my overpriced 88 dollar flounder.
bull’s blood beet with embered tomato and walnut
like a meaty portabella with chunky bbq sauce.
whole pastured chicken
came with a side of vinegar hot sauce/bbq sauce that went very well with the chicken. the breasts were decently moist, pretty good.
chicken knife
milk soft serve ice cream, smoked caramel, cacao nibs, salt
highlight
melon sorbet
intensely melon-y
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Nice seems to be hitting its stride…
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IIRC the seaweed mignonette was one of the things Chang gave Skenes shit about for being too labor-intensive.
When olives are fully ripe, they’re not bitter. In Liguria they put nets under the trees to catch the dead-ripe olives as they drop off.
thanks for the update! now i have to get there sooner
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service was also outstanding, some of the best in la.
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if they have the any type of fish nitsuke or sabazushi as a special, they’re must orders.
From the regular menu get the chinmi; salmon trout, holstein beef, grilled pork, or pork jowl with rice and pickles; and miyazaki wagyu with wasabi and nori. the sashimi can be hit or miss.
Sounds like they heard about the bitching about the pricing and changed the special menu pricing around a bit.
Had the radicchio salad xo sauce, delicious acidic, sweet, and with punches of salt and onion/garlic but didn’t really taste the seafood element that is in traditional xo sauce. Highlight.
Bbq beets and mushrooms were both good. Bbq beets were better of the two very meaty as other posters have noted . Mushrooms were well cooked but the hot sauce didn’t really add anything for me.
Antelope tartar with a yolk sauce. Instead of bread it’s served lettuce wraps stuffed with perilla leaves. I enjoyed this dish thoroughly as the perilla leaves added an additional flavor element that went well with the crunch of the lettuce.
Swordfish was delicious and perfectly cooked but they had an odd crispy something on top which was too salty for me. I could’ve done with just the swordfish plain with lemon squeezed over it.
I would say the highlight was definitely the service, on another level compared to the other top end restaurants in LA. Definitely no snooty high end actor/model server vibes. A lot of the staff appeared to be very young which I find uncommon in LA. I did not like the ambiance too dark and weird but partner loved it.
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I think that “xo” sauce is completely vegetarian.
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Ah I didn’t know that
“XO” is sort of misleading.
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Went on Friday night with the wife and enjoyed my meal. Plan on going back soon. The cooking is at a high level and I enjoyed the dishes I had.
sea bream ceviche with fried plantain
Antelope tartare - is there some beets mixed in with the tartare?
Radicchio with XO sauce - this was really great.
Grilled striped bass - this was also great, it had something like chili crisp on top which gave it some spiciness and a crispy texture
Bull’s blood beet with embered tomato and walnut
Angler potato and cheese sauce - a favorite! It felt you could eat it two ways, bite into it and it’s like a thick fry or peel the thin slices and eat it like a thin crispy potato chip with a soft interior.
Melon Sorbet was awesome! Nice creamy texture with a strong melon flavor
We also had the Grilled Parker rolls and cultured butter, we also had the chocolate bar as another dessert (no pics cuz I forgot)
Overall a great meal and so many other things to try on the menu. Service was excellent, attentive and thoughtful. Ambience was quiet without feeling like you had to whisper.
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Thanks for the report. Did you happen to take a picture of the menu? Did they have the heirloom tomato? How busy were they on a Friday night?
Here’s the picture of the menu. (not a great pic since I was only using it as reference to what we ate)
No they didn’t have the heirloom tomato. I wish they did, I would’ve totally ordered it.
My reservation was at 8:45 and the restaurant was half full. I really think the location is hurting them. If they were expecting foot traffic at night. It is totally dead out there. We parked on the other side of the mall by accident and we ended up walking outside the Beverly Center to get to Angler, we were the only ones walking on the street.
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Is there a street entrance?