@boourns review forthcoming?
One Yelper ā¦on April 14th (!!)ā¦beat @PorkyBellyā¦5 stars!
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No menu on website and $75 corkageāOUCH!
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I dunno why but my spidey senses are tinglingā¦ Iāll wait for some intel from yāall before going myself.
That is exactly what I feel. I donāt trust this guy after the way Angler LA gyrated, and then disappeared, with no messaging and/or explanations.
We know the chef is capable of amazing ideas and execution (that Sichuan radicchio, the banana crepe, some of the crudos and entrees were as good as it gets). Angler LA, at first, was a revelation - but after the first few months it was all so hit-or-miss.
You never knew what you would encounter there as far as quality and focus - or even if it was still the same chef in charge. It really made me feel that heās all about his brand first, and the customer (perhaps) second. I would guess that the pandemic and the colossal weirdness of the Beverly Center āresurrectionā get some blame, but if the issues were all external to the chef and his operation, he could have sent that message to his customers in any number of waysā¦but he didnāt. If I sound like a jilted lover, its because I am/wasā¦
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I actually feel like heās pretty bad at managing his brand (doesnāt use social, angler didnāt have great marketing or PR) but I hear you.
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Interesting, yeah, maybe branding is not the right word, or its not the focus (maybe there is no focus, just unfocused talent). Maybe he doesnāt give much thought to his brand or his customers. Itās not a normative way to run food related businesses, but maybe it works for him, though, hard to believe it works for his partners and investors.
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he had nothing to do with angler at that point. āmoved onā from Angler pretty early on after LA opened.
I donāt think you can reasonably judge Skenes by Angler LA. My guess is the mall company offered such a good deal he talked himself out of recognizing what a bad idea it was.
Pretty sure he said exactly that on Changās pod back when it opened. Basically the deal was so good he would have been a fool to turn it down.
Looking forward to checking this place out as if thereās one thing Mr. Skenes can do itās cook some amazing food.
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My understanding is he didnāt have much or any direct involvement in Angler LA past itās initial opening, certainly not during/post COVID from conversations with the staff. Seems like he isnāt interested in being a multi-restaurant chef, and not interested in the pressures of running a 2-3* kitchen anymore. My thinking is: if heās willing to come back to run a restaurant, he must want to, money and prestige donāt seem to be drivers for him. Going early while heās still there every day running the show might be the best chance to get a good experience even if theyāre still dialing things in. Because thereās always the chance heāll just disappear back into the wilderness again.
Even after he left Angler and the Saison group, he had obviously created the systems and training for the dishes well enough that Angler 1.0 could still deliver the iconic dishes at a high quality when they re-opened. My last meal there was still better than my first one at Angler 2.0 and in-line with my experience at the OG one in SF when he was still involved.
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They updated their Instagram to show one quarter of their pizza (in addition to a leopard jumping off the back of a dolphin).
https://www.instagram.com/p/C69xhXzP8ox/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Ummmm. I wouldnāt think so altruistically on that one 
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$75 corkage is abusive.
Robertaās is $25. Sei is $35. Those are two fabulous alternatives.
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no perfect game for me 
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Oh no, balk!
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I have high hopes for this place. If this is chef Joshās vision and heās at the helm (compared to Angler, where he wasnāt that involved after the start), this could be really good. In the heyday of Saison 2.0 (say 2013-2017), his food was wildly brilliant. Granted this seems to be quite a different concept, but his cooking can be eye-opening. I hope he does a dish with sungold tomatoes again.
The cornicione* on the pizza looks super puffy. Iām curious about the West Coast grains and fermentation - biga, poolish, hydration, time etc.
I will check it out next week, but I look forward to othersā reports in the meantime.
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Agree that Saison in its prime was really something special.
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Whatās going on with those pizza sitting at the back? 
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