All stories about "Paperfish"

BEVERLY HILLS: Who cares how many stars (or how few) the critics gave the restaurant: Paperfish flacks are touting Clive Wilkinson's big win in the Interiors/Retail category for the 38th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards that took place last week. By the by, the new chef and menu are completely in place at Paperfish. Perhaps it's time for another look-see, hmm Miss Irene? [EaterWire Inbox]

DOWNTOWN: Big dreamers are jumping on the Bring Broadway Back initiative bandwagon. Per Angelenic, a company called Longest Marquee signed a 25-year lease on the Rialto Theatre with plans to spend $6 million on renovations to reopen it as a restaurant/bar/live music venue. No word yet on when, what or who will fill that restaurant space, so let's file this in the long-term plan pile for now. [Angelenic]

SILVER LAKE: A tipster shares some news for all the Eastsider hippies out there: "There is a sign on the former Sunset Orange design storefront in Silver Lake announcing the opening of Nature Mart Bulk Bin and Juice Bar. I assume that it is related to the Nature Mart on Hilhurst in Los Feliz. I think it will be a nice addition to the neighborhood." Wheatgrass for all my friends! [EaterWire Inbox]

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Alen Lin, 12/1/07

Big news came in late yesterday: "From a first hand source. Yianni, the chef de cuisine at Paperfish is no longer at the resto. Depending on who you ask, he and Joachim decided together that he will leave, or Joachim called him this morning on his way to work and fired him. I'll leave you to decide, but if you know Joachim at all, the answer is very clear."

Confirmed. We just spoke to Splichal: "Yianni and I have parted ways, and we'll make an announcement about his replacement next week." Paperfish has barely been open four months, so was this because S. Irene Virbila's scathing half-star review of Paperfish in the Los Angeles Times? Let's look at the evidence.

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Inside 12/1/07, Alen Lin

When was the last time Joachim Splichal earned less than one star? Honestly, we can't think of one. No top dog is in every kitchen that has his or her name on it. Fact. But when Paperfish opened at the end of '07, Splichal was around to smooth out rough edges. Not enough, according to S. Irene Virbila. Whether chef de cuisine Yianni Koufodontis isn't ready for a Patina Group stage, or the Patina Group finally lost its Patina luster, something's not working:

The execution is inconsistent. One night almost every dish is too salty. Chestnut soup has a skin on it. Fried oysters are tepid. Another time, the cooking is crisper, but only just. Sauces are over-reduced and sweet; the rice is almost inedible, it's so unevenly cooked. Is it simply a bad match between the chef and Splichal's signature California-French cuisine?

It's more than that. With the possible exception of Patina at Walt Disney Concert Hall and Leatherby's Cafe Rouge in Costa Mesa, the cooking at outposts in the Patina empire doesn't have much of a personal stamp. The food is so anonymous it could be mistaken for a hotel or corporate restaurant's. In fact, Paperfish is a corporate restaurant, just one of the 20-something restaurants Splichal's Patina Restaurant Group owns and runs.

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