I’m really racking my brain to try to come up with a restaurant with amazing food, but also with nicely spaced tables with a “fine dining” atmosphere.
If I want the nicely spaced tables and fine dining atmosphere must I relegate myself to mediocre hotel dining food? Okay, if I have to, what is the restaurant with the nicest well spaced tables that serves the least noxious food compared to other similar restaurants? Before it closed, I would have said Craft. The food wasn’t noxious (a few thing were actually good) and the room was great.
On the other side of the coin, what is the restaurant with the most amazing good food that between other amazing restaurants has the best well-spaced tables?
I did look into Pasjoli, but was put off when I saw a comment about the tables not being nicely spaced. And I do think Osteria Mozza comes close to the kind of happy medium I am looking for, but was hoping there might be something new to try.
Preferably Westside, but would go downtown if there was something there that really filled the bill.
The tables are nicely spaced at Pasjoli btw maybe not a wide as Melisse but it’s not cramped at all. They also have a nice patio out back for small groups
I found it a nice place to take my older mother who really enjoyed it btw. Of course YMMV on these things
Alas both Providence and Kato are closed on Monday when I was hoping to go. I ate at Providence years ago, but haven’t been to Kato so will keep both in mind for the future.
I would agree that both Spago and Lawry’s have the atmosphere I am looking for, but dislike the food at both and will only go when dragged against my wishes.
I was not familiar with Tar and Roses and can’t open their website because my malware blocker won’t let me (seems they need to lock down the security better on their website so that doesn’t happen), but from some of the pictures on Kevin Eats page, the two-tops seems more closely spaced than I would like.
Ah, Citrin looks lovely but another restaurant closed that is closed on Mondays. The reviews on Pasjoli that I’m reading now are so polarizing. Some love it and others not so much.
And one review said they don’t serve champagne in flutes. I know some claim that champagne is better served in wine glasses, but I like my flutes.
I’m also reading that Pasjoli corkage is $75 a bottle. Perhaps that is par for the course nowadays with inflation. And also, we will let you bring your own wine, but we REALLY would rather that you wouldn’t.
I think the tables at Spago are a little tightly packed. Just by shifting my seat back a little bit to get up from the table and I felt like I was in someone’s way.
Rustic Canyon is a bit tighter table spacing than you are asking but it checks all other boxes and do ask to be seated in the booth which will provide more intimacy and isolation from the rest of the tables.
I just asked to be put on the Resy “notify me” list for Funke, but I have never gotten a reservation that way. And I got a solicitation from Resy to get an AMEX platinum card to move me up the list. Does anyone know if you can really get any reservation you want with an AMEX platinum card? I’ve always been adverse to that kind of thing though and not sure it it is worth it just to try to dine at Funke.
Hmmn, the pictures of Stella look very nice. Is it better than Osteria Mozza or as good? I have connections at the Osteria and can always get reservations and get treated very well, so that makes it hard to choose another Italian restaurant in the vicinity.
I think it’s on par. I’ve found the service to be gracious and cheerful. In comparison with Osteria Mozza, there is a slightly more Southern Italian bent to the menu at Stella (the Sicilian specialty Su Filindeu is marvelous, and not found anywhere else in LA). Reservations are not difficult at Stella.
Mozza is probably better quality overall
But Stella is another great option especially upstairs it is very calm and well spaced.
Notwithstanding one terrible dinner I had there at Stella a few months ago.
Also, I think patio at AOC is quite well spaced and food is pretty good but, of course, below the level of the places mentioned.
I know some claim that champagne is better served in wine glasses, but I like my flutes.