Spago los angeles review

There is, for example, an aguachile -style octopus served in a young coconut, sumptuously tender and bracingly tart.

Versions of the whole, roasted Cantonese duck have bounced on and off the menu for years, and the bird is still a marvel of texture: Its sweet-sticky exterior, baroquely crisp, yields beautifully to rich, moist flesh. Spago has an aptitude for keeping up with the times but smartly keeps one foot in the past. But if these dishes invoke nostalgia, it is a nostalgia available only to certain diners — those for whom Spago holds personal memory and meaning. I did not grow up eating at Spago, and so for many years the version of it that lived in my imagination was one culled from tabloids, movies and the fiction of Bret Easton Ellis: Spago as a hothouse of celebrity and excess, a home away from home for the sons of Beverly Hills, killing time in their Ray-Bans and popped collars over expensive salads.

Whether that was half-true or half-caricature, it added up to the same conclusion: This was not a restaurant meant for me. Who does Spago belong to in ? On a recent Friday night, the dining room belonged to the family celebrating the newly minted UCLA graduate wearing his blue mortarboard at the table and to the throngs of sport-jacketed men drinking gin and tonics at the bar. For more than two hours, it belonged to a group of well-coiffed tourists occupying the prime corner booth, documenting every morsel of their multicourse tasting menu with shiny iPhones.

Those seeking more than the satisfaction of checking off the restaurant from their dining bucket list may be disappointed. Long hailed as less fussy and more democratic than its peers, Spago can be icy and frantic in ways more closely aligned with a tourist attraction than a well-worn local restaurant.

Service is not always commensurate with the high cost of admission. The chaos of the valet station on Canon Drive may force you to circle the block, hunting for a rare free spot.

Dinner can be sullied by absentmindedness and poor pacing: On one occasion, my server disappeared mid-dinner. Dishes plodded out irregularly for the rest of the night; bread service arrived closer to the end of the meal than the beginning. Just a great place to work with an awful lot of good hard working folks. Very past paced, but not particularly stressful.

Management has everything under control and handle situation quickly and appropriately. Spago is a staple restaurant of Wolfgang Puck, Great place to work and learn. Yes There are 1 helpful reviews 1 No. Care to share? Help people considering your employer. Share your experience. Enjoyable work place. Very organized. Everyone was attentive to guests. Help was there when needed. Pros provided lunch, dinner. Cons none. Yes There are 1 helpful reviews 1 No There are 1 unhelpful reviews 1.

Very hard work and complete commitment was needed to excel at this job. Quality and standards are learned and raised by working at a high-end high-paced restaurant of this quality.

The fingerling potato salad and marinated cucumbers on the side taste flat. Two weeks later, minutes before the early reservation for our second meal, I run into Patricia on the street a block away from Spago. A blip, sure, but every interaction sets the tone of hospitality.

Ah, at least we land in the dining room proper tonight. Laura Linney settles in a couple of tables down. Our server paces the meal beautifully. The din rises with the percussion of plates and silverware and with voices full of exclamation points. Veering far from the script of Spago classics, we enjoy our most compelling dinner here this night. Executive chef Tetsu Yahagi and his team show off their command with offal. It makes the scales crackle and stand vertical.

Currently the kitchen encircles the fish with lobster, cucumber and sauce Americaine, a standard of the French repertoire made from fish stock, tomatoes, white wine and butter. The combination is a deliberate glance backward. These flavors have a modern lightness, and Continental-French cooking is having a resurgent moment across America, but to see the restaurant that helped spur a culinary revolution serve a dish, without irony, that summons the traditions Puck once rebelled against is a real trip.

Truly, everything is cyclical. The server who seemed indifferent to us when we sat down suddenly lights up. My friend visiting from out of town rolls her eyes. The courses begin in earnest with chawanmushi Japanese egg custard cooked in an egg shell.

A food runner arrives and mumbles a description. Then one in our party went back and talked to the maistre dee and things got better but they were never up to standard. Great, attentive server. Relaxing atmosphere. Delicious food.

Over rated, over priced. Typical run robotic corporate run restaurant. Wife was served under cooked chicken and the waiter said it was meant to come out like that. We still sent it back to finish cooking, when he came back with it he said, the chef did undercook it and apologized. So lied to by the server telling my wife to basically eat very pink undercooked chicken.

Overall just not the experience expected it to be. Unfortunate because it was our anniversary. Would absolutely return next time we are in town. Amazing experience incredible food! Overall disappointing. Pros: The service was good and attentive, and appreciate the effort of the sommelier with wine selection.

Cons: The ambience was basically outdoor seating in tented area. Since it is the fall the temperature in dining area was chilly and they didn't turn on the heaters. We ordered Medium rare. Daughter returned the pork to be cooked again, as it was dry and tough. The duck was also tough to cut being so well done. Dessert was very mediocre too. This was my wife's birthday dinner. Bottom line: For Wolfgang Puck's "flagship" restaurant, quite disappointing.

Chinois on Main Santa Monica much better food, presuming not the sidewalk seating. Suffice to say we will not return to Spago. Loud and touristy. Food is overpriced for what it is. The service is very good but the ambiance sucks and overall it's not worth it given the large number of better and cheaper options in LA. We had very high expectations given the Wolfgang Puck pedigree. The service was out of this world with very attentive and professional staff.

The ambiance was up there and with glasses of champagne we were all set for what promised to be a wonderful experience. Then the food came… The famous smoked salmon pizza was served somewhere between warm and cold and I felt that it had way too much creme fraiche on it. I ordered the Prime NY steak medium rare and it was served close to well done and was rather dry which could make one doubt that it was Prime quality.

The wine by the glass selection was excellent. Birthday celebration. The food and service were excellent. They went out of their way to make sure everyone was accommodated. Best place in Bh for special occasion. I went with my wife for the first time to Spago to celebrate our 3rd anniversary!

We had such a wonderful time dining here and will surely return if we are ever in LA again. Service was great.

The meal just was not worth the price. Here for our almost anniversary and our waiter was the absolute greatest host ever. I believe his name was Jason. Such an amazing experience as always. Food was superb. Service in Los Angeles in general is not up to par with most major cities in the country, however the service here is very good which it should be for a restaurant of this caliber.

Our first time at Spago it was chilly so we chose to sit in the bar which was quite cozy. Portions small as expected but the prosciutto appetizer was reason to return! I loved the outdoor seating, food was delicious, service was outstanding. My friend and I really enjoyed our dinner there and love to go back soon. Amazing as always this place never disappoints. The services was very poor, non attentive.