A tomato and truffled burrata salad is equally confounding. Whole, uncut tomatoes sit in dashi gelée with plum slices, surrounding a mound of burrata that has the texture of a clay face mask. It’s all covered in some diesel-y shredded black truffles. An order of crispy fried chicken is anything but crispy, and has a distinct bready, black pepper-heavy flavor that recalls the hot food section at an Albertson’s.
The attitude toward much of the food seems to be, if you blanket everything with something that looks expensive, it will distract diners from noticing the taste. Truffles and gold leaf, therefore, abound. But the truffles don’t seem fresh, and are put on dishes where they don’t belong. The haphazard deployment of gold leaf is the kitchen’s way to try to put lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig.
Actually, TBH, the week they opened @J_L and I had a passable (neither great nor horrible) meal there. There was way too much truffle-traffic and uni-cycling for my taste to contemplate a return, but the setting was gorgeous.
For some reason I thought Chateau Hanare and Sushi Hanare in the OC were related (are they?). Without seeing any pictures of the food I was thinking CH might have been the SoCal version of SF’s Keiko A Nob Hill…our only true Japanese French one star, although last time I went something was off.
The ballers who take their fine winez and baller sake to SH don’t seem to go to CH…I guess I know why now… Yikes.
Indeed, the patio is wonderful for al fresco dining. My understanding is that Chef Abe is still there? The bar there remains a good place to drink Japanese whisky… #goforthedrinks#justlikeShibumi
Wow, what a savage review. Maybe they will get a new chef because the ambiance does sound lovely and I am real ambience person, albeit not at the expense of the food.
People in the fashion industry always try to drag me to En Brasserie, the NYC sister restaurant, when I am in New York, but I have never made it there. Wonder if both restaurants are just places to be seen and show off your wardrobe, as opposed to having good food.
What a brutal write up. I’m totally down with reviewers being brutally honest about the quality of the food, even if it can mean the death sentence to a restaurant. What I don’t like is our culture of guilty until proven innocent. The writer spends a good part of their review talking about the sexual accusations against the chef and wondering why he still has a job when the chef hasn’t been convicted of any crime as far as I know. Should someone’s career be ended just because someone decides to accuse a coworker of misconduct? I’m in no way defending or condoning sexual misconduct, but just seems far too common these days where we just assume guilty until anything is proven one way or other.
Totally agree. The writer does not mention any follow-up with the single accuser or have a statement from Abe himself.
Sexual Abuser + Shitty Food. This article is a total sniper shot aimed at the head.
I doubt they will survive this. Abe should hire a PR firm immediately and get on damage control.
I have never been to the restaurant and it does not appeal to me, but damn…
Ouch! The hits keep hitting with this one.
Agree with what @tailbacku and @Starchtrade say about the allegations. From what I read, I was under the impression that Chef Abe wasn’t even serving for preparing Peterson’s food and he still spent 4 paragraphs about misconduct. Is the issue still relevant if Chef Abe is back in New York? Is Chateau Hanare’s cooking and execution of dishes poor because the chef is embroiled in scandal or because it’s just plain bad?
I think JGold handled the misconduct issue best in his preface for the Hearth & Hound review.
This review is so snide, and so snarky that even though I would never eat at the restaurant (I have attended a few wrap parties at Chateau Marmont - not my idea of a good time), I am pulling for them to survive. It reminds me of a Mick LaSalle review I read many years ago when he admitted, and I paraphrase, This is the type of movie we love to review…its so bad its like shooting fish in a barrel, or something along those lines. Then he proceeded to give a dignified takedown of a bad movie without ad hominem attacks. This reviewer went in for the kill. The bit about the waitress peeling the water glass out of his date’s hand was so over the top. That coupled with the whole “guilty until proven innocent” allegations about the chef’s and the owner’s alleged misconducts left me cheering for them although I avoid places like Chateau Marmont like I avoid driving on the 405 during rush hour - although the food does sound bad.
