I tried these two places on Wednesday at lunch.
Wolfgang Puck's Bar & Grill - It is across from the Guy Fieri chicken place near Planet Hollywood. It opened in November. I tried the chicken schnitzel at $28. It wasn't worth half that. The chicken had a spongy texture. Like a tenderloin. It wasn't pounded thin enough. And I don't like panko. The "deconstructed" accoutrements like tomato and arugula weren't exactingly fresh and the cucumber salad was just along for the ride. The rest of the lunch menu included some salads and sandwiches and pizzas and pastas and a few mains. The dinner menu substituted a few more pricy mains for the sandwiches. Pricing between the two menus was almost comparable. They discount a dollar or two or something like the dinner sea bass went from "whole" to lord knows what at lunch (probably a half). The pizzas looked good, but, I think a personal started at over $15. As did the sandwiches. The pastas were all mid-twenties. The mains were mostly thirty to fifty. My meal ran to $40 with tax and tip. And I just had a $3.50 (non refilled) soda with my entrée.
The place is divided into three rooms. Each has some exposed cooking area in it. To the left (where they seated me) is the pizza oven area. In the middle is the main kitchen (in the rear). To the right is the dessert station that has an open window to the street and sells gelato. The ceilings must be three stories high. The color scheme is white with black embellishments. Lots of photos of Wolfy and food. Mostly never together. They are trying for California farm house, I think. Wait service was a bit intermittent. I was expecting an overpriced, reductive experience and that's what it was. His schtick was powerful when I was an impressionable kid new to Los Angeles and there wasn't a celebrity chef minted every ten seconds. I even supported his first few attempts to branch out of Beverly Hills. But, he lost me when he lent his name to frozen pizza. He's one of those "name" chefs that license their reputation to anything and everything. I'll bet that is what is happening here. I doubt he even knows it exists. I don't blame him. It probably provides him with a comfortable living. But, it is too much for me. I wouldn't have tried this if it weren't for this blog. I don't try his other "chain" type restaurants or packaged food. He's kind of a punch line for me. Maybe not a punch line, but, I know he's too far removed from his projects to really be relevant to them. As such, I really resent paying designer prices for a off the rack clothing created by subordinates. I'm no label whore! Or am I the "john" since I'm paying? I'd advise you to save your "splurge" money for something more dynamic. Even Art Smith's place at Disney Springs seems a degree closer to the namesake than this.
The Daily Poutine - I had a classic poutine for $10. Fries and gravy and cheese curds. Not bad. The fries were actually crispy. Lots of squeaky curds. Ok gravy. Nice sized portion. It is on the right side if you descend the escalators from the green parking lot. They have two or three other poutines.
*Jaleo doesn't look close to being ready.
No comments:
Post a Comment