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Foodie1025

Joined 5 years ago

Good Tasting Menu Followed by AMAZING DESSERT. Went into Patina a few days ago for a birthday celebration. Each one of us got the tasting menu, which was quite pleasing. Started off with a seaweed salad with a santa barbara spot prawn, which did not look too great, but tasted pretty good. As the menu went on a few of the highlights were the foie gras with champagne sauce, and the tender tasty rabbit with tomatoes, olives, and caper berries. We all were feeling good about the menu, and decided to add on the cheese cart. The cheese server did not really know what he was talking about, but it did not matter because all the cheeses we chose were all enojyable in their own way. From there we all got our desserts, and gosh was it good. It started off with a homemade yogurt with apricot bubbles (you have to see it in person to see what great work of art this is), and it was followed by a chocolate cylinder with espresso cream and vanilla gelato (this was heaven in my mouth).

Don't get me wrong there were some negatives too. The sommelier basically rushed us in choosing our wine and the servers who were non-existent when it came time to describe our dishes. Overall, though, Patina is a great place to dine and even greater if you just come in for cheese and dessert.

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grillo2

Joined 6 years ago

First time excellent, Second time terrible. When I pay as much for a meal as I do at Patina, I expect excellence. The first time I went last year, the food and service were exemplary. Everything was tasty and the service, impeccable. Last month, I went again and was astoundingly, mind-bogglingly disappointed. The food was horrible-- odd-tasting, too warm, too cold, too fishy, undercooked. I actually believe that the undercooked fish gave me intestinal distress the next day. Even the service was sub par. The waiter was overbearing, checking to make sure we were happy at all the wrong times and too often. We had ordered the chef's tasting menu with the wine pairing and the sommelier was frequently late in delivering the wine-- twice I had finished my course before he showed up with the wine. I will give them one more try, but if it isn't excellent, I'm done. I had much better food last time I went to Social Hollywood and it was 1/2 the price. Please clean-up your act, Patina. It was early on a Sunday evening and not too busy, so there are no excuses.

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caljacqui29

Joined 6 years ago

Prefered the old location over this one. While the food is still high quality, I liked the decor and atmosphere of the old restaurant much more than the new location. The service is still one of the best and I love the cheese plate here.

Doesn't Recommend

bvanlent

Joined 6 years ago

Give me back the old Patina.... Patina on Melrose was one of my favorite restaurants in the city. A "have-your-birthday-dinner-there" kind of restaurant". Well I went with it again for my birthday dinner in its new digs on Grand Avenue and it was very disappointing. Whereas I found the Melrose spot quaint and cozy, Grand Avenue Patina was loud and barn-like. The decor is self-conscious. It is hard to really enjoy your meal when you have a table-full of Japanese tourists next to you talking on cell phones all evening, but nonetheless, the food was less than spectacular. The fois gras was uneven, and my entree was forgettable. The wine was clearly the winner of the night, but I'm afraid I can't credit Patina with that ;-) The wait staff were polite, but as the evening wore on they became less and less available (did they sense something?).

My new birthday spot is Providence, which I think even tops old Patina. Maybe the spirits in the building have something to do with that?

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mpedante

Joined 8 years ago

Set aside some time.. Patina, clearly, has haute cuisine down to a science. Dishes are creatively prepared, generous in size, and above all, sumptuously delicious. On a recent visit, I enjoyed a creamy lobster bisque, a huge piece of perfectly roasted halibut, accompanied by mashed potatoes and some of the most buttery wild mushrooms I have ever eaten, and a warm pistachio cake that was astounding. My partner's chocolate terrine was equally amazing, and I will go on record as saying I want to make out with pastry chef Ian Gresik. Chef tasting menus look equally appealing, but I have not been able to try one yet.

What I will say aside from the food is that it takes A LONG TIME to eat at Patina. Long to the point of "where is my entree it's been almost 30 minutes since the last course." And our server was sometimes non-existent even though there were a ridiculous amount of people on staff in the dining area. Aside from that, Patina is a solid bet. Make reservations, follow it up with a trip to the Disney Concert Hall to see the LA Phil - perfect evening.

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bette1stl

Joined 8 years ago

Great, great, high priced cuisine.. Yum. The best dish in my 5 course tasting menu was listed on the menu as:

"Uovo in raviolo with shaved alba white truffles

filled with quail egg yolk, buffala ricotta-fine herb

parmagiano and buerre noisete".

Okay, the genious? ...was that the outside

was this thin membrane of a noodle with gorgeously-crispy

fried cheese and browned butter, and when you cut

into it was more cheese. In the middle was a totally

and completely runny (not at all cooked) quail egg yolk.

I was so taken with the truffles and the yum. Real,

serious, yum. Plus, I'd never had real live white

truffles that hadn't merely been infused into olive oil. This dish really made the night. The rest of the courses were delicious, if a little too small to be filling. Even the bread was great (it was plentiful and served warm, the best of which was the potato and chive roll). It was my first time at Patina (though I've been to other restaurants in the patina Group), and I was a little surprised that the environment was more business-y than elegant. The bathroom was bare bones, like any institutional bathroom, but with a nicer, square sink, the best part of which had to be that the water came out at a perfect lukewarm. Dessert was the only part of dinner that was mildly dissapointing, but I'd just try something else next time. There didn't seem to be a fromagier onsite, but the server had fantastic cheese knowledge, and the one cheese she reccommended was the best one we had! Despite its lack of elegance, the sevice was excellent, and the food was tasty, detailed, and very special. That's what matters to me. The prices are extremely high, so I would only come here on a very special occasion, but I will definately be back.

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elisehwall

Joined 8 years ago

Excellent Frommagier. We saw a 2pm show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and knew that our reservation was not until 7pm (only time I could get 1 month in advance). The restaurant opens (including bar) promptly at 5pm, but we tried to talk to the manager before they opened to see if we could get an earlier reservation. No, he said. So we took our time wandering MOCA. We then exhausted our feet and tried to get in the restaurant again, now being 5:45pm. Someone else was at the helm and seated us early! We got the middle booth in the back, which I think is the best table. Our server was wonderful, and we informed him that we already saw a show and that he could take his time, and he did. There were times when our service was too slow, but only because they were trying to rush the diners who were seeing the 8pm show. Our food was delicious, my beef was cooked perfectly and my husband's venison was as well. The best part was the Frommagier who created the entire program for the restaurant. He was very knowledgeable in every selection we made and his suggestions were impressive. We did not meet the chef, but the manager (different one this time) was very gracious and appreciative. My only surprise was the acoustics, not very good when the crowd was high.

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hodiggity

Joined 7 years ago

Great Service, great food.. Great Service, great food. One of my most memorable meals ever. The prix fixe menu is expensive but worth it.

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adelly

Joined 11 years ago

Attentive Without Being Overbearing. To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, we dined at Patina on a Monday. Wow, there were only 7 tables occupied (on and off) during the whole time we were there (8-11 pm). They changed the menu recently, so had a little trouble deciding on what to order. I had wanted the Ocean Menu ($85), but contemplated, as I don't eat cruel food such as foie gras (which it had). The server was gracious enough to ask the chef to substitute the dish I didn't want. All of the courses were good, but the scallop and the lobster tail stood out (rich emulsions, creamy meat). My hubby had the chef's menu ($85), which consisted of some seafood and game. Overall great quality, though not overtly French (as the maitre d' told someone, the restaurant is really French-American). I wasn't too crazy about the decor (it didn't seem intimate enough), but obviously, that's only second to food. Final tab for 2 prix fixe meals, 2 glasses champagne, 1 bottle H2O, 1 cheese plate & 1 cup coffee was $300.

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pastries

Joined 7 years ago

Overall GREAT Place. I came here for a private party. It was absolutely amazing. Everything from the first course down to the desserts were just fabulous. The food had an incredible taste, and great presentation. The pastry chef made mini individual desserts for everyone, so each of us got to sample each of the desserts on the menu. He did an excellent job, and I agree wtih the other reviews in that I would come back just for the desserts. Overall, I would recommend this place for anyone who wants to splurge a little and have a great time!