APL Restaurant

I love that and had similar thoughts!

This.

3 Likes

At least when Alice Waters served a single peach, it was for some pretentious moral lesson that she probably though was profound. The onion just seems cynical.

2 Likes

It’s free, but if you steal it, you bought it.

Yes, this.

No, the opposite. We’re onion haterz b/c we can’t fathom paying $10 for some slices of onion. :wink:

2 Likes

Nicely said @BradFord.

When I went to Saison (Michelin 3 Star, which is much more expensive than APL), they happily brought out an extra (repeat) serving of their famous Sea Urchin Liquid Toast because I couldn’t stop smiling after I ate it. :blush: I didn’t even ask; one of the servers noticed how happy I was, and then a few courses later, just presented me with another because he saw how happy it made me feel. That’s a nice gesture, classy and the complete opposite of nickel-and-diming.

10 Likes

Absolutely. They’ve done that with the urchin toast, dessert, etc. they don’t charge for water (really, at that level nobody should), they don’t charge the 4% "Healthy SF ‘mandate’ that others do, etc. From my experiences, and as confirmed by others’, Saison always make people feel pampered yet at ease. They have their service down, and they are really adept at finding the right level of attentiveness without being hovering. In many ways, they are an industry standard. (also note how many of their dishes “inspire” others, and I’m not just talking around SF)

Their excellent former maitre d’, Michael Judge, is now at COI. I am not keen on revisiting COI for the food (was never really a fan of Daniel Patterson’s brand), but they have a brand new CDC and the service is definitely there if Michael Judge is at the helm. With that said, even as people have come and went from Saison, the service has always maintained very excellent standards.

APL is of course a very different restaurant than Saison, with very different aims, menu, pricing structure, etc. APL may not be able to give all the freebies that Saison does, but the principle is there - exceed customer expectations, include items instead of charging here and there, and the high prices don’t matter so much when the overall experience and food are good. Anyway, I need to get back to Saison, but NY first, and then another brand new restaurant, Birdsong (of a former chef from Saison, whom I met several times at Saison and In Situ)…will report back indeed.

4 Likes

Maybe a plate of onions?

9 Likes

so are we still boycotting APL?

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.

5 Likes

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.

4 Likes

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.

3 Likes

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.

12 Likes

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.

5 Likes

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!

6 Likes

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).

4 Likes