Anyways, this one is too late to affect those weighing their options for dineLA - but thought it would be worth capturing our experience here anyway.
We decided on Palate Food+Wine as we needed a venue close to work for a weeknight outing, and the place had received hearty endorsements from several foodie friends, as well as "Miss Sassy's piloxing instructor. Unfortunately, despite the rave reviews (of their regular offerings), Palate's $34 dineLA menu and spotty service proved to be disappointing.
Located on a stretch of Brand Blvd occupied by mainly office buildings, auto and car parts dealers, Palate's exterior was not initially impressive. However, the much talked about fun back dining room with its racks of wine and bar did have character. We were seated directly below a window with a view into the cheese / fruit prep room with chic marble surfaces - where we could see a sous-chef, er, cutting the cheese...all night. The menus were printed on loose leaf paper clipped into green legal folders...not sure how this fit with the theme, but we shifted our attention quickly to the wine list, eager to kick off the evening.
Of the three of us who ordered wine - two were unpleasantly surprised by the small serving size of the alleged 12oz glass, and the third received bits of cork in her 'decanter' (used to 'rest' her white wine before pouring into her wine glass, complete with cork shrapnel). Our server made no attempt to explain the portions nor to replace the cork-filled glass.
Two in our party started out with the Tahitian squash soup with chanterelles, bacon, crème fraîche and chives. The mix of ingredients sounded incredibly alluring - and aside from being a tad too salty, it was flavorful and appropriately creamy - and probably ended up being the best dish of the night.
With that disclaimer, that I do not have any frame of reference or basis for comparisan, I thought Palate's interpretation was a little too oily. The plating was interesting, with the marrow served up in two pieces of vertebrae. I didn't enjoy the oiliness nor the consistency of the marrow, which reminded me of lard except not as heavy or solid, and is semi-transparent. There wasn't much flavor either. I'm told this is the way roasted bone marrow is supposed to be - so perhaps it was great, and I just didn't have the appreciation for it.
As a side dish, the same two people also gave the Beetroot Salad with haricot vert, ricotta salata, chickpea purée and pickled carrots a try - again only a single note came up: salty. We must have picked the wrong night - with a chef that is heavy-handed with the one particular seasoning!
For my entree, I went with the only seafood dish available from the dineLA menu: Loup du Mer (sea bass) with cavolo nero and sunchokes. The fish was a bit overcooked, and the filet was cut a bit too thin so that the crisp, salty skin completely overwhelmed the texture and expected fresh, natural flavor of the fish. And this dish too, did not escape from the chef's bottomless salt grinder.
Our fourth friend ordered the Short Ribs with pomme purée, wild broccoli, baby onions and horseradish crème fraîche (not pictured as the room and dish were both too dark for photography). So as not to break the streak - this dish was also lackluster, with the only taste that broke through, you guessed it - salt.
Despite my best efforts, I could not bring myself to go beyond the first spoonful. The panna cotta tasted like styrofoam-flavored Jello from a box - thin, watery and gelatinous. It sat in a pool of what we initially thought would be some sort of exquisite emulsion made from grapes and pomegranates - but soon realized must have been recycled dishwater. The pomegranate seeds randomly strewn on the plate, I get IN CONCEPT were supposed to add tartness and crunch to counterbalance the - in concept - subtle hazelnut flavor in the creamy panna cotta - but they served neither purpose in execution. The 'dishwater' soaked seeds did not hold a crunch, and, like the panna cotta, were completely flavorless.
All in all, I can safely say none of the ladies in our party will return to Palate - unless someone else is footing the bill, and we have personal guarantees of the quality of the exact dishes we would be served. I know this may be a bit hasty, as afterall we had not tried much on the regular menu, and the place comes highly recommended from food critics and friends alike...but our experience, fresh on our minds, is too difficult to get over at least in the short term. And there are still so many other great restaurants in LA I need to try - with my meager funds, and now tainted reputation with this particular set of friends - I'd rather not take a risk on Palate again...sorry!
On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 2.5 bites
Presentation - 4 bites
Originality - 3 bites
Ambience - 4.5 stars
Service - 3 stars
Overall experience - 3.5 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 20%
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Palate Food+Wine
933 S Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91204
Ph: 818.662.9463
Website: palatefoodwine.com/
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don't forget the single valet attendant so you had to wait for him to return from dropping off one car to let you out of yours - or the MIA host - oh, and the waiter who almost forgot to take my order. and totally disappeared between courses.
ReplyDeletelady, the look on your face when you took a bite of that panna cotta? i hope you never have the opportunity of using it again. :(
Ay dios mio! I must have been trying to repress those other disastrous parts of the evening - there was just way too much to process (or to fit in one post)! Two thumbs down for Palate!!
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