Reviews & Ratings for Simon L.A.

04/07/11

Great hotel BUT..

by GeorgeEvelyn1978 at Citysearch

It's a great hotel but if any of you are looking to save some $$ then book it at goo.gl/FPxYD They have some of the best hotel deals on the web!

04/30/10

Simon LA. The Bryan Adams of chefs.

by gastronomnom at Citysearch

Kerry Simon is known as the Rock n' Roll Chef.

But as far as rock stars go, he's the culinary equivalent of Bryan Adams. Well crafted, familiar and accessible. A working class dream in a million dollar venue.

Don't get me wrong. Bryan Adams is more successful than most musicians will ever be. Has more fans, sold more records, played more shows than most. But on the international stage, he's no Bono.

And I have to admit, the thing that pushed me to try Simon LA was Restaurant Week. Which is basically the culinary equivalent of scoring cheap tix.

The venue itself was kinda sexy. Like a darkened nightclub meets a haunted forest. We sat down to the support act. A glass of prosecco, which got us suitably warmed up for the headline act.

Kerry Simon opened his set with a jumbo lump crab salad with avocado, micro greens and a grapefruit vinaigrette. Maybe not the most innovative dish but very tasty. The crab was chunky and the salad was well dressed. For a reluctant salad eater, I polished this dish off.

Next up was the grilled skirt steak with balsamic roasted root vegetables. The skirt steak was left nicely pink in the middle but with a heavy sear. The marinade was well caramelized. To my palate, it reminded me of Malaysian satay. I loved the sweetness of it. There was ample jus to keep the meat moist and the vegetables were simply cooked but delicious. The dish was comforting, hearty and left me wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

For his encore, Simon broke out some more crowd pleasers. Cheesecake and cotton candy. The cotton candy was a fun element but, obviously, insubstantial. Still, a playful addition. The cheesecake came out looking like a scoop of ice cream on top of a crust. But it was indeed cheesecake. An incredibly smooth and creamy cheesecake. Not what you'd think of as a traditional cheesecake presentation but I loved this dessert.

Looking back over the meal, I can't say that there was any one dish or component that was particularly outstanding or challenging. It was like a collection of greatest hits. Perhaps safe but very enjoyable. And that's what Kerry Simon does. Food we know and recognize but executed very well. So well that you can't help but like it, even if you're not wowed.

Much like Bryan Adams.

I still find myself singing along to "Summer of '69" whenever it comes on the radio. I can't help it.

And I'm willing to bet a lot of you out there do too.

I guess, despite myself, I'm a fan.

• Pros: Safe but well executed
• Cons: Safe but well executed

11/23/09

Very dissapointed.

by Gemca1966 at Citysearch

After reading the GAYOT review naming this restaurant in the top 10 for Los Angeles I looked forward to my dinner there. First off the atmosphere is nice. The people, very friendly and service was good.

Now the bad news. My colossal crab cake was over cooked and so dry I drank an entire glass of water to get it down. I then had their special, "Seared Halibut". It must have been the same chef preparing the fish because it was also very over cooked and dry. Tasted like canned tuna to be honest. My side dish, black rice was very bland and the desert, creme brulee was like runny liquid in the middle.

The cost of the meal for the 3 of us was over $300 which was expected but also expected was satisfaction. Not even close. There are too many fine restaurant's in Los Angeles. This isn't one of them.

• Pros: Good Service
• Cons: Terrible food

04/29/09

Great Cocktails

by taconess at Citysearch

I highly recommend Simon Restaurant to everyone. Its a gorgeous ambiance with great food, cocktails, and attentive employees. I have no complaints about this place as the few times I've dinned there have always been quite pleasant.

• Pros: Great Atmosphere

08/21/08

I'm a French person and you can imagine How "cuisine" and gastronomy are significant in my culture.... Since my childhood my quoit is used to the most refined meals. And Eac time I go to the Simon's r

by Thalou at Citysearch

I'm a French person so you can imagine How "cuisine" and gastronomy are significant for me.... Since my childhood my quoit is used to the most refined meals. And each time I go to the Simon's restaurant, it's a real enjoyment... like exactly when I was a child and I knew I would eat some marvellous pastries "Clafoutis aux cerises" or others "pate en croute" to my grand-mother's place.

I can only highly recommand that restaurant with very sure values in terms of food and creativity like we can find in a convivial family with a very modern touch and inventiveness in plus in a very beautiful interior design which helps you to feel different... to feel ready to enjoy every moments of your stay at the SImon La Restaurant!!!!!

I love the terrace Socosy and Sozen in the middle of Los Angeles........

06/30/08

BAD SERVICE

by Buster0102 at Citysearch

I went here with some friends for lunch to check it out. We made a reservation but had to wait about 10 minutes until they would seat us. Once we finally sat and got our menus, it took the waiter another 10 - 15 minutes for him to come back and take our order. We thought this was odd considering they weren't busy but figured the food would make up for it. Finally we ordered food and had to wait another 20 minutes for our appetizers to show up. Once we started eating, our meals came out immediately following. Clearly their timing was off which was annoying, considering how much money we were paying and how much food we had ordered!!

For lunch, we shared pizza, salad, tuna, chicken, etc. Basically a sampling of the entire menu. the food was so OVERRATED! the pizza was like Papa Johns, the chicken was so buttery and greasy that we felt greasy after we ate it. the salad and tuna was OK but nothing to recommend. We also got the sampler dessert. I had heard people raving about the cotton candy and the rice krispies treats but we found it nothing special. Cotton candy at a carnival is better!! Granted, it was cool they had it, but really - at my age (30ish), why the heck would I want to eat cotton candy anyway? I don't get it.

Finally it was time to get the check - which had mistakes on it. They charged us for two drinks that we didn't order! I guess they got our checks mixed up but it was the icing on the cake for us. Bad service, nasty, greasy food - Overall, it wasn't a great experience and I know my friends and I won't return! It's NOT WORTH IT!

06/16/08

Great for entertaining out-of towners!

by LAgirl888 at Citysearch

Went here with friends visiting from out of town. Everything we had was delicious, the staff was very friendly and welcoming, and I loved the look of the place. Will return for sure!

05/29/08

Rude, Disrespectful, Managers don't care.

by bobbyjun at Citysearch

More than a week earlier, I personally went into the restaurant and made reservations for 11 people. The hostess came with me and we confirmed and finalized a patio section. Only 3 days before the date, they call me and say they have given away my reservation to accommodate a group of 60 people in the same patio area. I told them they need to do something about this and they said the managers will see what can be done and will call me back. They never did. And when I called them, they were very rude and disrespectful and basically didn't care. So overall, they threw away a reservation made earlier in advance for 11 people for a larger reservation (which brings in more money) which was made after my reservation was confirmed.

02/11/08

Decent food, Great ambience

by StephKudus at Citysearch

I went there for lunch and felt that lunch at Simon was rather decent. They met my expectations however, did not exceed them. The ambiance is beautiful and is a great place to enjoy the afternoon and eat at your own pace.

I had the eggplant patties as my appetizer which I felt was good but was rather sweet. Their salmon salad was rather small for a entree and their dessert was decent. They gave us cotton candy at the end which I felt was a nice touch as it reminded me of old times, good ending to a decent meal. :)

Service was very prompt. Our drinks were filled as soon as it met the half line. One thing I must point out is that I get very ticked off when waiters bring the bill before I am finished with my dessert. I happen to find it rude and absolutely unnecessary especially when the restaurant is not busy. I would probably go back as I found the food very decent and I think SimonLA has more to offer me the next time I return. However, they should pay attention to finer details to ensure customers a great dining experience.

• Pros: Food, Ambience
• Cons: No attention to detail

11/11/07

Flavorless Food

by chaselangford at Citysearch

Nice staff & service but I have never had such bland food. The ribs were utterly tasteless as though they had been boiled for 10 hours. Even the onion rings rendered no flavor. My 3 other dining guests concurred. Sorry to write a bad review. I'll never go back.

• Pros: good service, easy valet
• Cons: Denny's has better food! sorry!